Digimon Assassin's Creed
by ElfLord123
Summary: Tai enters the Animus to explore the life of his Ancestor, Ezio, as he grows to become an Assassin, oblivious to the secrets in his ancestor's past...and the danger that would be brought into Tai's life. To avoid complaints, I changed the story a little.
1. Ch1 Welcome to the Animus

Ch.1 Welcome to the Animus

"There was once a brotherhood, a creed of assassins that had broken off from society. They dedicated their lives to the study of the deadly arts; they can blend in with any crowd, attack from any direction, eliminate their target, and then disappear like the wind. Their skills were so incredible, some people believed that they had made a deal with death: In exchange for not being killed, they will deal death's card and use this ability to keep order and peace. Other men blindly follow the "truth" they remember: nothing it true. Other men are limited by morality or law, they remember: everything is permitted."

"Izzy, that is the cheesiest beginning I have ever heard," Tai groaned. He eased himself back; his messy, chocolate-brown hair shook at little as he leaned back.

"What?" Izzy protested. "I just wanted to let you know what we'll be looking at."

"I told you, I don't really care."

"Just because you flunked every history test you had in college, doesn't mean you have to hate your ancestors' history!"

"And, how am I supposed to learn about this, again?"

"The Animus, I built is myself." Tai cleared his throat in annoyance. Izzy scratched his spiky, almond-brown hair, thinking of a way to put it.

"Ok, I'll put it in a language you'll understand. What is a memory?" Tai paused to think for a moment to describe it.

"Umm… a recollection of previously experienced events?" Tai said, trying to sound smart.

"Yes," Izzy said happily.

"I don't even know what I just said," Tai quietly muttered under his breath.

"Well, just recently, I discovered that your history is also imprinted on your DNA!" Tai stared at Izzy, not seeing the point of what was being said.

"So…you can read my DNA to see what I had for supper last Easter."

"No, no, no." Izzy quickly corrected. "Your ancestors' histories are imprinted in your DNA. You remember your biology classes? How do animals remember when and where to go to reproduce? How do birds know where to migrate and what path to take?"

"Umm…instinct?"

"All of these animals have a recollection of these events, held in their DNA. Their genetic memory tells them everything. Humans never needed to do something like that, so we lost the ability to read our DNA. The Animus will not only read your ancestors' memories but project it in your mind, and I can keep track of it from this podium." Izzy tapped the white control panel in front of him.

"And, what about this brotherhood of assassins you're talking about?"

"It's a creed," Izzy corrected. "In the three times you've been in it, I discovered that at least one of your ancestors is an assassin." Tai scoffed skeptically.

"An assassin? I've been in that thing three times and it's _now_ that you realize I'm an assassin."

"The genetic memory of your assassin ancestor is at least six-hundred years old! I didn't even notice it was there at first."

"I guess assassins are good," Tai shrugged. "I'll get to be a ninja! But, wasn't there a power surge that destroyed everything in your workshop?"

"I rebuilt the Animus, this one should be better than the one before."

"Better, how?"

"It can recall older memories with increased accuracy. With Joe's help, I was hoping to also give you your assassin ancestor's abilities: their climbing, fighting, and stealth techniques."

"I Get To Be A Ninja!!!" Tai yelled gleefully, jumping up.

"Sit down; you're going to break the machine!" Izzy yelled. Tai sat back down as Izzy shook his head. He never understood why some college students have to be so immature sometimes.

"Sorry. Have you done this to Sora or Matt?"

"Not yet, I'm more interested in your assassin ancestor. Once we do this, you'll be free to go."

"What do I do?" Tai sighed.

"Just lay on the bed," Izzy said, pointing at the white, curved bench Tai was sitting on. Tai slowly laid down on it, positioning himself right between the rows of lights on the side, and groaned in discomfort.

"Bed, it's more like a board!"

"Just relax," Izzy said, pressing a few buttons on the control panel. There was a low hum as Tai's head slowly sank into a depression in the bench. Suddenly, everything in Tai's mind went white. Tai tried to speak, but could not move his lips. He began to panic; he was at least able to talk when he sat in the first Animus. Then, he realized that if Izzy was looking into his mind, he could read his thoughts, it was worth a shot.

"Izzy, where am I?" Tai thought.

"I'm still downloading your memories," Izzy said. "Give it a sec."

"Shouldn't this be easy?"

"Recalling genetic memories isn't like reading out of a book. These memories are so old they might not be completely accurate."

"Why can't I talk?"

"If we want these memories to be accurate, you have to limit your brain-activities."

"How is moving a "brain-activity"?"

"If you want to move, you need electrical signals from your brain. Don't worry; I'll be at the controls the entire time."

"And, if there's another power surge?"

"Don't worry about those. At worst, you'll simply be brain-dead, it's nothing to be worried about."

"Yeah, I'm real comforted," Tai thought sarcastically. "How long do I have to be in here?" Tai heard Izzy sigh in disappointment.

"Once we've gone through one memory, I'll let you out. I'll be very quick. You should be able to look at your ancestor's physical body now." An image began to appear in Tai's mind, which he knew was his ancestor. The image cleared up to show a young, teenage boy. His hair was as brown as Tai's and his face looked just like Tai's, but…

"ARGH!"

"What is it, Tai?!" Izzy asked, panicked.

"His Hair! He has flat hair!" Izzy groaned in annoyance when he heard this. Out of all the things Tai could complain about, he was complaining about his ancestor's hair.

"Spiked hair wasn't much a fashion back then," Izzy said.

"Back when?"

"According to this… we are in Florence Italy, 1476." Tai scoffed when he heard this.

"Ok… I am definitely not Italian!"

"Turns out, you are." Tai took to time to look at his ancestor, carefully examining his leather vest that laid over his, what can best be described as, white shirt.

"What is his name anyways?"

"Ezio. Ezio Auditore."

"No Kamiya?"

" We'll be following his life as he becomes an assassin, you'll be seeing what happens through his eyes. One more thing, before we get started. When the memories are playing, your mind will not be able to think unless I turn off the projection, only observe."

"How am I supposed to get out?!"

"Trust me, I'll know. I'll pull you out to let you rest once and a while. One last thing, welcome to the Animus."


	2. Ch2 Boys will be Boys

Ch.2 Boys will be Boys

The streets in center of the town of Florence, Italy were usually crowded by mid-day, especially by teenage boys looking for a little bit of action and adventure, including Ezio. He and his gang walked through the market place, looking for anything that they found interesting. His gang was mostly scattered throughout the market, but he was more interested in another group of boys that he saw in the distance.

"Isn't that the Vieri de' Pazzi?" Ezio asked one of his gang members.

"I would've thought you'd be able to tell from their stench," the gang member snickered.

"Let's go and greet them," Ezio said. They looked at each other, with a small smile on their face.

"What are you thinking?"

"After how he slandered my family's name…" The two boys walked through the market place towards the black haired teen, expecting his gang with him. Vieri's dark blue robes gently flapped with every motion he made.

"Surprised to see you here," Ezio said, walking up to Vieri. "I thought the Pazzi had others to do their dirty work." People around the market that noticed Ezio talking with Vieri began to leave, they quickly paid for what they had and left.

"It's your family that cries for guards when there's trouble," Vieri snapped. "Cowards! Afraid to handle things yourself?"

"You seemed to enjoy the handling we gave you last time we met." Ezio's gang burst out laughing as Vieri turned purple with rage at the recollection of that embarrassing moment. In anger, cursing, Vieri threw a rock, about the size of a fist, at Ezio! The rock just grazed Ezio across the lip, but the sudden attack made both gangs charge at each other! The peaceful market place suddenly was flooded with chaos as the two gangs clashed with each other! Some gang members grabbed fruits and threw it at the other gang! Ezio tried to face Vieri himself, but the other gang members stopped him. Ezio grabbed one of the gangsters and threw him at a fruit stand, letting the stand, and watermelons on top of it, fall right on the gangster's head! As the brawl continued, other bored teenagers suddenly joined in, not caring who they were fighting, they just wanted a fight. Ezio continued fighting his way through the crowds when another teenager, wearing red robes, standing at the side caught his attention.

"Fredrico!" Ezio exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see my baby brother in one of his fights," Fredrico replied.

"And…?"

"You've got style!"

"Daeman has been teaching me a few moves."

"But, I don't think he'll like what you've been using them for. Let's see how good they are." The two brothers charged back into the feud. Once back in, Fredrico saw how good Ezio truly was in a fight. Unlike most of the teenage boys, who simply continuously punched and pushed their opponents, Ezio maneuvered himself around his opponents and their attacks before pummeling them with his fists. From where he stood, Vieri saw that his gang was losing the street brawl.

"Fall back!" Vieri yelled and he and his gang fled from the brawl. Vieri was running away before Ezio even got the chance to face him! Ezio stormed towards the fleeing Vieri; Ezio was not finished with him yet.

"Wait, Ezio!" Fredrico called. "You already won."

"I'm not through with him yet," Ezio said angrily.

"You need to get that looked at."

"What?" Ezio asked. Fredrico pointed at Ezio's bloody lip.

"It's just a scratch!"

"Let the doctor decide."

"It's not necessary. Besides, I don't have any money for this doctor of yours."

"Wasted on women and wine, huh?"

"I'd hardly call it wasted. So give me some florins than, or have you done the same?"

"I don't have any florins, but, that's easy to solve," Fredrico said, kneeling by one of Vieri's gang members, who was on the ground groaning in pain. Fredrico rolled the gangster over, reached into a pouch on his belt, and took out a sack of money.

"This should be enough florins to pay the doctor," Fredrico said, tossing the money bag to Ezio. "Now, let's get out of here before the guards come. Follow me." Fredrico ran to one of the nearby buildings, jumped up, grabbed a window sill, and began climbing up the side of the building; Ezio immediately took off after him. Once they reached the roof of the house they began to began to make their way through Florence, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until they finally made it to another part of town.

"There he is," Fredrico said, pointing at a man in the middle of the square. They climbed down on the other side. Once they were back on the ground, they could see the doctor a few feet away.

"Evening doctor," Fredrico said, walking up to him.

"The Auditore," the doctor said through his beak-like mask. "Why am I not surprised?" The doctor knew what they wanted when he saw Ezio. "You made quite a mess of yourself," the doctor said, examining Ezio's wound.

"It's nothing, really," Ezio insisted.

"You must help him," Fredrico pleaded. "That pretty face of his is his only asset!" Mumbling, the doctor took out a piece of cloth, dipped it in a jar, and dabbed it on Ezio's bloody lip. In a matter of moments, the blood disappeared, leaving a small scar on his lip.

"There we are," the doctor said. "Now get out of here!"

"Grazi, (thank you)" Fredrico said, turning away and walking off with his little brother into the sunset. "Quite a night," Fredrico said to him.

"Indeed, I wish that they were always this much fun," Ezio said. "Oh, wait, they are."

"We should head home, Ezio. Father's sure to be wondering where we are."

"Yeah, I rather avoid a lecture."

"Up for a little race then?"

"Let's go!" Ezio and Fredrico began to climb the sides of the one of the buildings. Once they reached the roof they took off, jumping from rooftop to roof top. As the two brothers made their way back home, the scene faded to white.


	3. Ch3 Intermission

Ch.3 Intermission

"So, what do you think?" Izzy asked, ejecting Tai out of the Animus.

"I don't know, Izzy," Tai shrugged. "I guess the street brawl was cool, but…"

"But what?"

"I don't know. I kind of want to do something else."

"We'll just have a short session once every day. Ok?"

"Fine." Tai said. He grabbed his coat, looked at his watch, and took off through the door.

"Where're you going?" Izzy asked.

"I'm going to see Matt and Sora," Tai said, springing out the door.

"He's always in a rush," Izzy sighed, turning back to his controls. He looked out the window, into the stormy night. There was a flash of lightening as Izzy turned away when suddenly his digivice began to beep rapidly. He immediately stopped and looked around. A dim, flashing, red light under a table caught his eye; he walked over to the table, reached under it, and with a yank, pulled out a small metallic object. Izzy almost immediately recognized it as a GPS.

"Oh no," Izzy breathed.

Tai opened his umbrella as he walked outside. He clung to his brown coat tightly as he walked through the cold rain. As he reached the crosswalk, he looked at the traffic light, which was glowing "stop" to all pedestrians. As Tai waited, he could not help but wonder about Izzy. Over the past few days, he seemed nervous and somewhat jittery.

The light turned to the walk sign and Tai began to stroll across the street.

Could the Animus project be the thing that made Izzy so on-edge? No, Izzy loved complex projects like these, he even volunteered to join the team that invented the Animus. Izzy was behaving as if there was a life-and-death situation, but how could that be? The Dark Masters are gone, both and the Digiworld now had peace. Tai will think about this matter later, he is going to have dinner with Matt and Sora. It will be good to see his two friends again after three years.

"For a punk, you eat like a pig," Sora remarked to Matt as she watched the blonde man gorge on the pie in front of him.

"What?" Matt asked innocently through is scruffy hair. "I'm hungry." The red-head woman shook her head, laughing. The two of them looked up when they heard the door open. A soaking-wet Tai walked into the restaurant; he brushed his messy hair to get some of the water out of it.

"Tai!" Sora yelled gleefully, jumping up and wrapping her arms around him.

"Sora, you're getting your blouse wet," Tai groaned from the bear-hug. "You left your hair long," Tai said when he realized that Sora's once short hair was now dangled down to her shoulders.

"Like it?" she asked.

"It looks great on you."

"Look who it is!" Matt chuckled, playfully punching Tai in the arm as Sora released him. "How're you doing?"

"I'm okay. Wet, but okay." Sora began to eat her pasta and Matt returned to his pie as the three of them sat back down at the table.

"So, college let you out later than it did me and Izzy?" Tai asked, drying his hair with the table cloth.

"Yeah, the finals weren't as hard as I thought," Sora said.

"Speak for yourself," Matt laughed. "I still have the headache from taking them. How about you, Tai?" Tai turned pale at the idea of telling his friends what he got on the finals. "It couldn't be worse than mine."

"Yes, it could," Tai said. "I think it might be one of my top eight most embarrassing moments of year countdown."

"Your top eight embarrassing moments?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"You have a countdown?"

"Yeah! You should make one too so you can tell someone about it."

"Why top eight?"

"Well, it's MY countdown!"

"Tai, you scare me sometimes," Sora laughed.

"Sometimes?" Matt quietly said to Sora.

"Here you go, sir," a waitress said as she served Tai a plate of steaming hot lobster.

"Thank you," Tai said, but he was not staring at the lobster. The waitress's skirt only reached her knee, and Tai was taking a particular interest in the part not covered. He stared at every detail of her silky smooth skin, how it glistened in the light, how it elegantly moved with each step...

"Tai," Sora said, placing her head in front of his view.

"Sorry," Tai quickly said as he cut into his lobster. "You already ordered for me?"

"We know what you like to eat," Matt chuckled.

"How's Kari doing in high school?" Sora asked.

"I'm busy at college, how am I supposed to know?"

"Doesn't she call you once and a while?" Sora asked. Tai nodded.

"She says she's doing good, but she mostly talks about TK."

Matt stopped eating when he heard his little brother's name mentioned.

"Matt, don't worry!" Sora said cheerfully, putting her hand on his shoulder. "They're great together! Matt, calm down." He finally relaxed and leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling. "Tai, go easy on Kari, she's new at this."

"New at getting a boyfriend or new at dating TK?" Tai asked.

"New at having her brother hold a grudge against the idea of her going out with TK."

"To bad we can't invite everyone else here," Matt sighed. "I think they would like this place." It was true; they were the only ones, with the exception of Matt and Tai's siblings, that could see each other during college for some reason. Mimi was in America, Izzy was always busy in his lab, and Joe…

"So, have you seen Joe?" Tai asked.

"He says he's at the hospital," Matt said. "He's been busy these past few weeks."

"So, he did become a doctor?"

"Doctor's assistant," Sora said.

"If he's just an assistant, why's he so busy?" Tai asked.

"I know you're busy watching your soap operas," Matt said. "But, you never heard the news?"

"What news?" Tai asked. Matt and Sora exchanged surprised glances. They knew Tai was out of touch with the world because of the Simpsons but they did not expect him to be that out of touch; then again, this was Tai they were talking about.

"Well, they say there's been a massive spree of attacks," Sora sighed.

"Yakuza?" Tai asked, remembering the attacks that that Japanese-Mafia conducted.

"Doubt it."

"Only if the Yakuza gang started in Spain," Matt said. "The attacks have been working its way across Russia, through Mongolia, and through China. It just made its way into Japan last week. It's almost like some group is working its way through the continent."

"Cool," Tai said, taking another bite of lobster. For him, this crime spree was almost like those he saw on TV.

"Not cool, Tai," Sora said. "I don't feel safe in the streets anymore."

"I think you can take care of yourself."

"Four security guards, with _guns_, were attacked last night a few miles from here; three were sent to the emergency room and the fourth to the morgue. I don't know what'll happen to me if I don't look out."

"Sora, what did I tell you?" Matt asked.

"I know, I know," Sora said. "You'll never let anything happen to me." Neither Matt nor Sora realized that Tai was turning red with jealousy.

"So, how are you two doing?" Tai asked.

"We're great," Matt said cheerfully as he put his arms around his girlfriend. Suddenly, Tai heard a crash a right beside him. He just barely had enough time to see a waiter trip over another customer; the customer dropped his bottle of wine and accidentally hit a fork, which was half off the table, which sent if flying into the air! Tai had no idea how he did it, but in the blink of an eye, he was able to grab the bottle of wine by the neck with one hand and the flying fork by the handle with the other hand in mid-air!

"Whoa!" Tai said when he saw what he did. Everyone in the restaurant was just as stunned by what just happened.

"How'd you do that?!" Matt, who was as surprised as Tai, asked.

"I have no idea."


	4. Ch4 Nightcap

Nightcap

Tai groaned as he walked up the thirtieth flight of stairs to reach Izzy's laboratory, the elevator was broken. As he reached the door, which was ajar, he heard talking on the other side, who was Izzy talking to? As Tai opened the door he saw who Izzy was talking to, in front of the Animus's podium, where Izzy usually was, was a woman in a white tank-top and blue jeans. Tai spotted Izzy at a computer across the room.

"Lucy," Izzy said as he walked across the room and handed women a digital pad. "I have the results." The woman took a moment to look at the pad and smiled.

"That's great!" she said, brushing some of her blonde hair out of her face, the rest of her hair was in a bun.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Tai chuckled nervously.

"Interrupting what?" Izzy asked, walking to a stack of metal crates.

"Never mind," Tai said as he watched Izzy take a piece of machinery out of a crate. "Umm…Izzy, just last night, something weird happened." Izzy and Lucy looked up excitedly.

"Did you do something really crazy really fast?" Lucy asked.

"Umm… yeah, how do you know about this?"

"We were just talking about it!"

"It's the bleed-through affect," Izzy tried to explain, but Tai was still confused. "Ok, let's say you do something, like a slide-kick in soccer. Your mind remembers how you did it so you can do it again. We're doing the same thing with the genetic memories."

"With time, you'll be able to retain your ancestor's skills, reaction time, and speed," Lucy said.

"Tai, this is Lucy Stillman, my assistant."

"So, this is who you always talk about," Tai said to Izzy.

"You talk about me?" Lucy asked Izzy, who shrugged nervously.

"Anyways, I'm back for another round of the Animus."

"I thought you didn't like it," Izzy said.

"After what happened last night, I think being a ninja would be pretty cool. But, if I only need to be inside the Animus, why can't I just get all of these skills at once?"

"You have to go through the memories one by one and learn it gradually, as you ancestor did. If we did it any other way, it'd almost be like teaching a baby to run before he can walk. Anything else?" Tai shook his head. "Let's get started then." Tai laid back down on the Animus-bed and waited as Izzy and Lucy both worked at the podium.

"Let's try to see if we can go for a longer session," Izzy said.

"Are you sure that's safe?" Lucy asked.

"Is what safe?" Tai asked, concerned, but the two scientists did not hear him.

"As long as we keep it under four hours," Izzy replied.

"GUYS!" Tai yelled.

"Staying in the Animus too long may have some side-effects," Lucy explained

"What side-effects?"

"Degradation of cognition, temporal hallucinations, multiple-awareness issues, overlapping realities…you know."

"So, what you're saying is…"

"What we're saying is if we're not careful, you don't need the Animus to visit with your ancestors," Izzy clarified. "Which wouldn't be a bad thing, assuming you could control it."

"Which, no human can," Lucy said.

"Yet," Izzy added.

"We have safeguards, Tai," Lucy said reassuringly. "If we don't eject you from the Animus after three and a half hours, the Animus will eject you itself."

"Well, if I die, I know who to get when I'm a ninja-ghost," Tai said.

"We'll be starting a few minutes after the scene that we left off on," Izzy said as Tai watched the world melt to white. "Oh, yeah, the podium's broken, so I can't track your memories anymore, you'll have to tell us what happened when you come back out." Tai did not have to wait long this time for his memory to load up.

"Come on then," Fredrico said to Ezio as they jumped onto the roof of a church.

"Where're you going?" Ezio asked.

"You'll see," Fredrico replied as he began to climb the tower at the front of the church, Ezio followed suit. Fredrico helped his little brother up onto the roof of the tower, where they look at the entire town of Florence, and its beauty, in the moonlight of the night.

"It's a good life we lead, brother," Fredrico said.

"The best," Ezio agreed. "May it never change."

"And, may it never change us." The two of them sat down and soaked in the marvelous sight of the town. After a while, Fredrico and Ezio both stood back up.

"Alright, enough of this, we really should head home, let's go." Fredrico said.

"Wait," Ezio said.

"What?" Fredrico asked. Ezio looked at one of the houses in the distance. "Ezio, let Christina sleep."

"There will be time enough for that, later," Ezio laughed. He saw a large pile of hay at the base of the tower; the pile was nearly five feet tall and was wide enough to catch Ezio when he jumped off the tower! He landed right in the pile of hay, which cushioned his fall. People hated when he did that, if the hay is not thick or wide enough, the fall would be fatal. He got out of the hay and walked to the front one of the houses.

"Christina," Ezio hissed. "Christina!"

"Who is it?" a girl asked from the window.

"It's me." A teenage girl in a white blouse with brown hair stuck her head out the window and saw Ezio.

"I should have known it was you," she said.

"May I come in?" Ezio asked.

"Fine, but only for a minute."

"A minute is all I need," Ezio said as he scaled the side of the building. "Wait, that came out wrong." As he climbed through the window, he saw Christina sitting at her desk.

"Come here," Ezio said. Christina groaned, but she got up and walked up to Ezio. They looked at each other for a long while before Ezio reached up and began unbutton Christina's blouse.

"Oh, Ezio," she said as her blouse slid off, and…

"HEY!" Tai thought when the scene suddenly faded to white. "What happened?!"

"Sorry, but it looks like the memory is corrupted," Izzy said.

"What do you mean corrupted?"

"We can't access it."

"Why not?"

"It's almost like trying to remember something forgotten," Lucy explained. "We simply can't access this one."

"Do you think you can un-corrupt it?" Tai asked.

"Doubtful, if we try too hard, it might have some serious side-effects."

"Like?"

"Since we're accessing your DNA, we could cause genetic instability."

"What's happening in there, Tai?" Izzy asked. "You seem very eager to watch this memory."

"Umm…it's nothing, just a really cool fight scene," Tai lied.

"I'm loading the next most recent memory, but it's over eight hours later," Lucy said.

"Okay," Tai groaned in disappointment as the scene of Florence was recreated, and yelling could be heard from Christina's house.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!" an angry father yelled as Ezio leapt out of Christina's window.

"That's not necessary," Ezio smirked when he got to his feet.

"GUARDS!" the father yelled as Ezio took off. Nearby guards heard the yelling and took off after Ezio.

"There's really no need for violence," Ezio said to the guards as he began to scale the side of one of the buildings. "She needed some help…some things. I'm mostly innocent." When Ezio saw that the guards were climbing after him, he jumped off the roof and tumbled on the ground. He quickly picked himself back up and sat on a nearby bench, pretending he had done nothing and that he had been sitting there for a while.

The guards, who were looking for a boy who was running from them in panic, did not bother to pay attention to the crowd. Ezio nervously looked at the guards; if any of them decided to pay more attention to the crowd they would notice him. Fortunately, they gave up the search and walked back to their posts. As soon as the coast was clear, Ezio got up and began to make his way home.

As Ezio reached the gates around his house, he could see his father waiting for him at the front door. The man's red robes made him look like an authority figure, especially with his neat, brown hair.

"Good morning, father," Ezio said innocently.

"Come with me," his father, Giovanni, said strictly, putting his hands behind his back and walking to the house.

"Is something wrong?" Ezio asked. Giovanni stopped in front of the door when he heard this.

"Do you think me blind and deaf, son? I know all about your fight with Vieri de' Pazzi, and then your little visit to Christina! Your behavior is unacceptable! It…it…it reminds me of myself when I was your age. I assume these misadventures won't interfere with your work today."

"Of course not, padre (father)," Ezio replied as the two of them went inside the house.

"I've prepared some documents for Lorenzo de' Medici," Giovanni said, handing Ezio a small stack of envelopes. "Return to me when it's done."

"With haste, father," Ezio said as he ran out the door. As the boy got outside, he looked around. He could climb onto the roofs, but he's had enough climbing for one day.

This was not the first time he had to deliver something to Lorenzo, so he knew the path to take to get to his palace, the best shortcut was through the market place, and hopefully Vieri and his gang were not there. As he made his way through the market, something caught his eye. He stared at one of the blacksmiths, who had just made a new sword to sell. Ezio knew the basics of sword fighting, and the sword he saw was the craftiest he has ever seen.

"Interested in swords now?" a dry voice said behind him. Ezio turned around and saw an old, grizzled, man wearing black robes, holding a metal walking stick in his left hand, standing behind him.

"Daeman!" Ezio said in surprise. "I didn't expect you here."

"I have nowhere else to go," Daeman said, stroking his white beard.

"Why do you always wear that black hood?" Ezio asked as they began to walk to the palace together. "It'll make the guards think you're up to something."

"The guards can think whatever they like. I let them think whatever they like, like you should do with Vieri de' Pazzi."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know about your fight you had yesterday." Ezio loudly cursed Vieri's name. "Please keep those cruel words in your head."

"Why?" Ezio asked. "He slandered my family's name."

"Do you think I went through life without someone slandering my name? There will always be those who do what they please with no concern of the affect is has on others."

"But, that is why I fought him. He needs to know when he should hold his tongue."

"Why do you think you should be the one to teach him? Their actions show how low they are, and fighting them will not make you better than them. Do not harbor hate for others, such things are poison. I know you're not paying attention to me."

"What are you talking about? I am paying attention to you."

"What I mean is, I know what you are thinking right now, you do not understand why I am lecturing you about this, and you will still get into more fights, take more nightly visits, and do what you usually do without considering what I am saying. I was once your age."

"I guess," Ezio said, considering Daeman was right about Ezio not caring about what was being said.

"I do not expect you to take my words seriously or act on them at your age."

"Then why do you try to lecture me?"

"You may not like the lectures, but if you have these thoughts in your head when you are young, you might act on them when you are older.

"What's wrong with having a little adventure in life?" Ezio laughed.

"You will have plenty of adventures when you grow older. Once you reached manhood, you can have formal duels with swords against your friends and family without getting in any trouble. Perhaps I can teach you someday."

"I know how to use a sword."

"You know how to swing it, but do you know how to fight with it?"

"I can too. But, there was this one sword I heard about…"

"The Sword of Altair?" Daeman asked.

"Yes," Ezio replied. "Why is that sword so legendary, and why do people argue whether it is real enough?"

"Legend says that the sword was made by a blacksmith who was blessed by almost every religion. He made a sword that was said to be given to a warrior who was perfect in almost every form to use it against evil. The sword's blade is said to be as thin as paper, but is harder than most metals. Some say that the sword will face little resistance when it is slashed through water."

"Do you think it exists?" Ezio asked.

"Unfortunately, the Sword of Altair is pure myth, but that is what I believe; there are some things in life that we will never know. We've reached the _palazzo_ (palace). You can deliver the letters, but I have to go now, Ezio," the old man groaned.

"Good bye, old friend," Ezio said, turning away when he realized…

"How did you know I was headed for the _palazzo_ (palace)?" Ezio asked, turning around, but Daeman was already gone. Ezio shrugged and approached a man near the palace gates.

"Ezio," the man said cheerfully. "How are you?"

"_Como sempre_ (As always)," Ezio replied. "I have a letter for _Messer_ (sir) Lorenzo," Ezio said, giving the man the letters.

"I'll see that he receives it when he returns."

"Returns?"

"He is away to handle other business. He's not expected back for at least another day.

"I'll let my father know," Ezio said, walking off. As he left, the entire scene faded into white.


	5. Ch5 Standard Protocol

Standard Protocol

"What happened?" Tai asked as he got out of the Animus.

"I thought you've been in there long enough," Lucy replied. "It's not safe to keep you in there too long."

"Where's Izzy?"

"He's gone to check on the equipment. I stayed here to see how the bleed-through is going."

"So, what do I have?"

"You should now have Ezio's climbing abilities and his fighting skills," Lucy explained.

"Cool, so do you have a wall I can scale, or something that you can't reach?" Tai asked.

"I don't think it's safe to test those abilities yet, one wrong move…"

"Then how do I know I actually picked something up?"

"The warehouse is a good spot to see if you can fight."

"We're at the top of a skyscraper, how are we supposed to get to a warehouse?"

"It's at the base of the building, the elevator should lead straight there."

"Your warehouse has an elevator?!"

"What's so hard to believe about that?"

"Ok, who am I supposed to fight with?" Tai asked as Lucy led him down to the warehouse. "You?"

"I don't see who else you can fight." As the two of them entered the warehouse, Tai was attracted to one of the walls at the side.

"Why can't I climb this?" he asked. "This is easy enough, I can climb this."

"And, break your spine if you fall. There's an open spot over here that we can spar in."

"So, where'd you learn to fight?" Tai asked as he put his fists up. He was slightly nervous about fighting a girl.

"When you grow up with two older brothers in a town full of psychotic gangers you pick up a couple of things. So, you don't need to go easy on me."

"Cool," Tai said as he lunged forwards with a punch. Lucy dodged the punch and put her foot out so Tai tripped over it and fell on his face.

"You alright?" Lucy asked, kneeling beside him.

"I've got to get used to this," Tai groaned as he picked himself back up. As soon as Tai got back up he sent a kick at Lucy, but she was able to grab his foot, which made him fall on his back.

"You learned all this from your town?" Tai said skeptically as he got back up.

"I guess I did learn a little more from my cousin," Lucy explained as she began to dodge Tai's continuous wave of punches.

"Who's your cousin?"

"You probably never heard of him, Matt Ishida."

"WHAT?!" Tai yelled. He was so stunned by this that he did not even trip on Lucy's foot; he tripped on his own foot and fell on his face…again. "Matt's your cousin?!"

"You know him?" Lucy asked as she helped Tai back up, again.

"Scruffy blonde hair, rock star, very full of himself?"

"Sounds like him."

"I know him," Tai said as he, once again, put his fists up.

"We're not that close," Lucy said as she blocked all of Tai's punches. "I was thinking of baking a pie for him and his girlfriend."

"Matt loves his pie."

"Very good, you've picked up almost all of Ezio's fighting abilities," Lucy said. After getting his butt knocked onto the ground, Tai wanted to knock Lucy down, at least once. As the two spent the next few minutes fighting, Tai was waiting for the moment to trip Lucy, the same way she tripped him. Finally, Tai saw his moment and took it; he stepped forwards to trip her, but she did the exact same thing. As they tried to trip each other, their feet interlocked and they both fell on the ground, right on top of each other!

"You alright?" Lucy asked as the two of them burst out laughing.

"I'm fine," Tai laughed.

"Good to see that," a voice said. Tai and Lucy looked up and saw Izzy on one of the balconies. "What are you two doing?"

"Sparring," Lucy replied as Tai got off of her and she got up. Izzy nodded his head skeptically.

"How's the bleed-through?"

"It's incredible. Tai has retained almost all of Ezio's skills and abilities. He just needs a little help using it."

"So, how long have you two been at this?"

"'bout thirty minutes."

"Lucy, I thought you, of all people, would know how important getting his memories is," Izzy said.

"What does that mean?" Tai asked Lucy as he watched Izzy exit the warehouse.

"It's nothing," Lucy said. "Well, I guess you're going back into the Animus."

"How'd you get yourself here anyways?" Tai asked as he and Lucy got back into the elevator.

"What do you mean?"

"Out of all the labs you could have joined, why this one?

"I didn't really have much of a choice."

"Huh?" Tai said, confused.

"We're both about two years in college," Lucy began to explain. "Most of the kids in my class were looking for labs and departments they could join so they can officially have a job there afterwards. I looked for labs that would accept me, but none of them did."

"Why?"

"By this time, most of the engineering and physics majors were forming hypothesizes and theories. All the labs though mine were too farfetched and ridiculous. They didn't want me because of it. Then, Izzy received one of my applications. He had already aced his way through college and decided to hire me. He essentially saved my life, that's how we became close; like how you two became close in the Digiworld."

"You know about that?" Tai asked.

"After all of the monster attacks, it's hard not to." As Tai and Lucy got out of the elevator and back into the lab, they saw Izzy at the podium.

"You guys ready?" Izzy asked.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Lucy replied.

"And, what's that supposed to mean?" Tai asked.

"Just get on the bed," Lucy laughed. She gasped when she realized how wrong that sounded. "Sorry," she laughed, but Tai was laughing too. He laid back down on the Animus-bed and the world melted to white.


	6. Ch6 Special Delivery

Special Delivery

As Ezio approached his house, he could hear another person talking with his father.

"You worry too much, Giovanni," a voice said. "Francesco de' Pazzi is in prison. The threat is over." As Ezio entered his house, he noticed a plump man wearing brown robes and a hat speaking with his father.

"Hello, son," Giovanni said. "You remember my friend-"

"Good morning _compagno_ (friend) Alberti," Ezio greeted.

"To you as well, young man," Ulberto Alberti said.

"I trust you delivered my message," Giovanni said.

"_Si,_ padre," Ezio said. "But, it seems Lorenzo is out of town."

"I did not anticipate this."

"What does it matter?" Alberti asked. "So, you wait another day or two."

"Your mother and sister are looking for you," Giovanni said. "I will need you later, but for now, see if you can help them."

"Are you sure?" Ezio asked.

"Yes, now, if you'll excuse us."

"Good to see you, Ezio," Alberti said as Ezio left the house. Ezio noticed a girl sitting on a bench in a yellow dress. Her long, black hair was tucked in her bonnet.

"Hey, Claudia," Ezio said. "How are you?"

"_Bene _(Fine)," she replied.

"You shouldn't keep things from your older brother."

"It's Duccio," she sighed.

"What about him?"

"I think he's been…unfaithful."

"Who told you this?"

"The other girls, I thought they were my friends."

"You're better off without him," Ezio said.

"I loved him," Claudia said.

"No Claudia, you only thought you did. Wait here; I'll go have a word with him." As Ezio stood up, he began to wonder where he was supposed to find Duccio. Most of the teenagers were at the market at this time of day so that is a good spot to start looking for him, and it was where Ezio found him, flirting with another girl!

"It's beautiful," the woman said. "But, what about Claudia? I thought you were promised to her."

"My father believes I can do better than an Auditore." Ezio could not take any more of this.

"Hey!" Ezio called, approaching Duccio.

"Ezio," Duccio said pleasantly. "What are you doing here, my friend?" Duccio's question was answered when his lips met Ezio's knuckles! Duccio stumbled backwards, cursing under his breath.

"You insult my sister by running around with this…" Ezio was so furious he could not even speak.

"What are you talking about?" Duccio asked innocently, spitting a tooth out.

"I know about all the gifts you gave her…all the things you said."

"Maybe your sister shouldn't be so stingy."

"You broke her heart!" Ezio yelled.

"Now, I'm going to break your face!" Duccio snapped.

"At least people don't gag at the sight of mine," Ezio smirked. Duccio turned purple and lunged at Ezio! Ezio was able to grab Duccio's head and slam it into his knee! As Ezio took Duccio's face off of his knee, he kneed Duccio in the stomach! As the stunned Duccio looked up, he saw Ezio's fist fly into his face!

"Enough!" Duccio yelled as he fell to the ground. "I give up, you win!"

"Stay away from my sister!" Ezio roared. As Ezio backed up, Duccio picked himself back up and fled. For Ezio, all his days are usually this adventurous. Ezio had enough fun for one day, he decided to head home.

"Hey, Ezio!" a voice yelled as he approached his house. Ezio looked around and noticed a little boy in yellow calling for him. Ezio sighed and walked over to his little brother.

"What are you doing here, Petruccio?" Ezio asked. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I want those feathers," Petruccio said, pointing to a nest with a small pile of eagle feathers.

"What for?"

"It's a secret."

"If I get them for you, will you go back inside?" Ezio asked.

"Yes, I promise," Petruccio said. It was simple enough; Ezio scaled the side of the building, grabbed the feathers, and headed back to the house. Petruccio was waiting for him at the front door.

"Here," Ezio said, placing the feathers in a box that Petruccio held out.

"_Grazie _(Thank you) brother," Petruccio said, closing the box.

"You still haven't told me why you want these."

"I will…in time." Petruccio took his box and went inside. Ezio chuckled and sat down on the bench, ready to take a nap.

"_Buon Giorno_ (good morning) Ezio," a voice said. Ezio opened his eyes and saw a woman wearing a red dress with her black hair matted behind her head.

"_Buon Giorno, madre. Come stai?_ (Good morning, mother. How are you?)"

"_Bene _(fine). And, you? Still recovering from last night?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Ezio said.

"Of course not. Anyways…I have an errand to run. I'd like you to join me. Come, it's not far from here." Ezio followed his mother, Maria, as they traveled through the streets.

"I know about your fight with Vieri de' Pazzi," she said.

"What fight?" Ezio asked innocently.

"Let's not play this game."

"He spoke ill of us. I could not allow him to continue."

"I'm sure he's having a hard time dealing with the accusations against his father. Francesco de' Pazzi is many things, none of them good. But, even I never suspected he could be capable of murder."

"What'll happen to him?" Ezio asked.

"I imagine there'll be a trial," Maria said.

"Will Father speak about him?"

"He'll have to; he's the one with the evidence."

"Still, I wish there was another way."

"You have nothing to fear. Everyone wants justice done. It is an unfortunate state of affairs, but it will pass. Here we are." Maria gently knocked on the door and a man walked out.

"Hello Leonardo," Maria said pleasantly.

"_Madonne_ (Milady) Maria," Leonardo Da Vinci greeted, kissing her on the cheek.

"This is my son, Ezio."

"_Molto onorato._ (It's a pleasure to meet you.)"

"L'onore é mio, (The honor is mine,)" Ezio said.

"Let me go and fetch the paintings. I'll be right back." Leonardo hurried back into his house.

"He's very talented," Maria said.

"_Immagino,_ (I guess,)" Ezio replied.

"Self expression is vital to understanding and enjoying life. You should find an outlet."

"I have plenty of outlets."

"I meant besides girls."

"Mother!" Ezio groaned.

"Back to your house, then?" Leonardo asked as he got out of his house with a crate full of paintings in his arms.

"_Si, si,_ (Yes, yes,)" Maria said, following him. "Ezio, help Leonardo, will you?"

"So Ezio, what do you do?" Leonardo asked as Ezio took the box of paintings from him.

"He's been working for his father," Maria answered as the three of them began to walk back to Palazzo Auditore.

"You're to be a banker?"

"For now," Ezio said. "For you, art, was it?"

"Truth be told, it's been difficult for me to settle. Painting is nice, but I often feel my work lacks…I don't know…purpose. Does that make sense? I'd rather contribute more practically, more directly; architecture perhaps, or anatomy. I'm not content to merely capture the world, I want to change it."

"Leonardo, I have no doubt you'll go on to do great things," Maria said.

"_Vi ringrazio, madonne._ (I thank you.) That's kind of you," Leonardo replied.

By the time they reached the house, Ezio's arms felt as if they were ready to fall off.

"Thank you for your help son," Maria said as Ezio put the crate down on a desk inside. "Don't let me keep you from your other duties."

"It was nice to meet you, Ezio," Leonardo said. "I hope our paths cross again."

"_Anch io,_ (Me too,)" Ezio replied. As Leonardo left the entire scene melted to white.

Tai groaned as he got back up.

"How do you feel?" Lucy asked.

"I'm ok," Tai groaned. "When do we get to the good part?"

"Huh?" Izzy asked.

"You said Ezio was an assassin. When do we get to see the action?" Izzy and Lucy exchanged glances.

"Well, I don't see why not."

"Later, through," Lucy added. "He's been in there long enough for now." Izzy shrugged and began to check some readings on his data pad. Tai groaned and lay back down as Lucy rushed to Izzy.

"Did find out where we are?" she asked.

"We have to assume," Izzy said. "By tomorrow, they'll reach Odiaba."

"We don't know that they know where we are."

"Why else would I find a GPS?"

"If they could access your lab, they would come in. They wouldn't need a GPS."

"The Knighthood finishes things itself. We need to get it out NOW."

"If we kill him, we won't have it anyways. Why can't we tell him?"

"It's too dangerous."

"Less dangerous than not knowing why we're putting him in there?" Lucy protested. Izzy groaned in annoyance.

"Wait one more session," Izzy decided. "Then, you can tell him."

"Fine," Lucy said angrily. The two of them went back to the podium.

"You okay?" Lucy asked Tai.

"Just a little tired," Tai said.

"You can do something else while we wait."

"I don't really have much to do. It's hard to play soccer on a murky field."

"I thought soccer players play soccer on muddy fields all the time."

"Not when there are pools of water in every footprint."

"If you can't play soccer in these conditions, you won't be able to play soccer until tomorrow. We're expecting a thunderstorm tonight."

"Great," Tai groaned.

"You ready?" Izzy asked.

"I guess." Tai lied back down on the Animus bed. As the world melted to white, Tai hard Izzy tell him what they will do.

"Since you want to skip to the action, I will," Izzy said. "We don't need anything before that."

"This next memory takes place the day after the last memory," Lucy explained.


	7. Ch7 Jailbird

Jailbird

Ezio was on the roof of his house when he found it, an eagle feather. Petruccio was collecting these and would probably love this. He quickly put it in his pocket, jumped off the roof, and tumbled on the ground. He was already sore from delivering his father's messages, but now he was even sorer. He still could not help but wonder what was happening. Everyone seemed to be acting strangely these past few days. Ezio will wonder about that later though; for now, he's going to take a long, relaxing nap, or so he thought. As he entered his house, he found it, unusually, empty.

"Father?" Ezio called out, but there was no answer. "Fredrico?!" Ezio was so busy wondering where everyone was that he did not notice the figure holding a pot behind him! Ezio fell forwards when the pot was brought down on his head! Ezio whipped around, ready to fight, but a woman tumbled out of the shadows. Ezio immediately recognized her as their house wife, Annetta!

"Ezio?!" she said in surprise. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Where is everybody?" Ezio asked. "What happened?"

"They took your father and brothers to prison."

"My mother and sister?"

"Ezio," a voice called. Ezio turned around and saw Claudia hiding behind a bookcase.

"Claudia!" Ezio called as he embraced his sister. "You alright?"

"Yes," she said. "But, mother..." Ezio saw Maria sitting in a chair in the corner, staring forwards.

"She's in shock," Annette said. "They…when she resisted."

"It's not safe here," Ezio said firmly. "Is there someplace you can take them?" he asked Annetta.

"Yes, to my sister's!"

"Good, do that. In the mean time, I'm going to go see my father."

"Be careful _messer_ (sir) Ezio, the guards are looking for you as well." Ezio's expression stiffened as he stepped outside into the night. He did not have to worry about the guards, considering they usually stay on the ground. Ezio climbed onto the roof and began to run across the rooftops, making his way across Florence to the prison.

As he climbed onto the side of the prison wall, he could see a couple of guards pacing on the roof. He did not want to get into a fight, but the guards stood between him and the cell that held his father. Ezio climbed onto the roof, behind the guards. He picked up a large rock and threw it at a faraway guard. When the rock hit the guard on the head, he fell to the ground, attracting the others to him. This was the moment he needed. Ezio scaled the wall of the tower to the cell his father was being held. Giovanni could tell from the commotion from the guards outside what was going on.

"Ezio," Giovanni said.

"Father," Ezio said back through the prison bars. "What's happened?"

"Took a bit of a beating, but I'm alright. What of your mother and sister?"

"Safe, now."

"Annetta too?"

Yes…wait, you knew this would happen?"

"Not the way it did, and not this soon…it doesn't matter now."

"What do you mean?" Ezio asked. "Explain!"

"There no time," Giovanni said sadly. "Listen closely, return to the house. In my office is a hidden door, use your skill to find it. Beyond lies a chest, take EVERYTHING you find inside; much of it may seem strange to you, but all of it is important. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Among the contents is a document, you must take this to _messer_ (sir) Alberti. He was with me in the office this morning."

"I'll remember, but please tell me what's happening. Are the Pazzi behind this?"

"There's no time to explain," Giovanni said when he heard a loud clash down the hall. "I said go, Ezio. Go now." Ezio saw a huge pile of hay on the ground, and let himself fall into it. Ezio still had no idea what was happening, but was hoping his father will explain everything once this was over.

Ezio nearly knocked the door down as he got into the house. As he entered his father's office, he stopped and looked around. A hidden door, a hidden door needs a way to open it. Where would a secret entrance be? The fireplace at the back caught his eye. As he approached it, a loose stone on the mantle caught his eye. He pressed the stone in and the fire place slid into the floor, revealing another room behind it. Like his father said, at the back of the room was a large chest, which was not locked. His father said to take everything inside.

Ezio took out what could be best described as a set of grayish robes. Unlike most robes though, this one had a large hood. Like Giovanni said, he did not know what this was, but it was obviously a family heirloom.

Ezio put on all the clothes that he found in the chest. When he stood up he now wore a set of grayish robes and boots he found. He also wore black, leather, gloves and a small, black cape on his left shoulder; the cape was only large enough to fit on his left shoulder. Ezio kneeled back down and took out some weapons he found under the robes. He placed a dagger in the sheath harnessed to his boot, a sword and another dagger into a sheath at his waist, and two throwing knives into his belt. After he slid his hood, which was large enough to cast a shadow on his face, on; he kneeled back down to empty the chest. He took out a single armguard, a blade, and a letter. He put the armguard and the blade in his pocket and looked at the letter.

"I must bring this to _Messer_ (sir) Alberti," Ezio said to himself, putting the letter in his pocket. As Ezio walked outside into the moonlight, the new Assassin Robes made him look like an authority figure.

"Auditore!" a voice yelled once Ezio stepped outside. He looked up and saw two guards charge at him, swords drawn.

"Hey!" Ezio called. "What's with the swords? Aren't you supposed to arrest me?"

"No," one of the guards said.

"Then what do you want then?" Ezio asked, drawing his sword.

"For you to die." With that said, the guards lunged at Ezio! This was the moment he had been waiting for, to prove himself worthy in battle, to see if he was truly a man.

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen," he said, blocking the oncoming attacks. "So, why not we explore other options instead?" Ezio desperately defended himself from the guards, blocking their attacks; they pushed Ezio back into the wall. The guards were much better than Ezio, and if he does not defeat them quickly, he will most definitely be worn down then killed. Ezio did not know what came over him, but when he was able to knock one of the guards onto the ground, Ezio stabbed him through the chest! The other guard lunged forwards at Ezio, who pointed his sword at the guard. The guard fell onto the tip of the sword and his body fell to the ground.

Ezio could not believe it; he had never killed anyone before. Those guards were simply following orders and he killed them…killed someone's husband…killed someone's brother. He felt a growing guilt from taking the life of another person, but he did not have time to worry about that; he had to get these letters to Alberti. Ezio sprinted through the streets; he did not know whether he was running so fast to free his father or to escape the guilt of what just happened. Regardless, he reached Alberti's house in moments. Ezio slid his hood off as he approached the house. He pounded on the door in panic; when it did not open, he knocked on it again.

"Ezio Auditore?" Alberti asked as he poked his head out. "What are you doing here at this hour?" Ezio tried to speak, but he was so overcome with anxiety of what was happening he could not talk. "Wait, child; take a breath, collect your thoughts."

"My father and brothers have been imprisoned," Ezio burst out. "I was told to bring you this." He handed Alberti the letter, which Alberti took a moment to read.

"I see now," he finally said. "It's a misunderstanding, Ezio. I'll clear everything up."

"How?" Ezio asked. He was so panicked he did not notice the black, hooded figure behind Alberti. The figure stopped in front of the door to take a quick look at Ezio, then disappeared back into the shadows of the house.

"The documents you've given me contain evidence against your family, and against this city," Alberti explained. "I'll present these papers at their hearing in the morning, and they'll be released."

"Thank you, _signore_."

"Of course, my child. Do you need a place to stay? You're more than welcome here."

"No, _grazie_. I'll meet you at the _piazza_."

"Don't worry, Ezio. Everything is going to be fine." Ezio slid his hood back on as Alberti closed the door. Ezio turned around and looked at the rising sun; he could finally have a moment of relief.

Later that day, Ezio sat on the edge of the roof, looking at the streets. Until the Auditore name was cleared at the hearing, it was too dangerous to see his mother and sister. Even though his father and brothers were being released, Ezio still felt uneasy. All he could do now is wait and pray. He noticed a gathering across town; that must be where the acquittal is taking place. Ezio got to his feet, climbed down, and walked into a crowd that was gathering…wait, this cannot be right…the crowd was gathered in front of a platform, where he father and brothers stood, ready to be hung.

Ulberto Alberti stood at the side of the platform, and the man wearing a black cloak and hood stood behind him, the same one from last night. A smile appeared on the hooded man's round face, behind his thick, gray mustache, knowing that the Auditore will soon trouble him no more. Ezio may not have paid that much attention to the figure he saw last night, but he definitely remembered the man; Ezio could now see the hooded man clearly.

"Giovanni Auditore!" Alberti boomed. "You and your accomplices stand accused of the crime of treason. Have you any evidence to counter this charge?"

"Yes, the documents that were delivered to you, last night!" Giovanni said. Alberti quickly glanced at the hooded man then looked back at the crowd.

"I'm afraid I know nothing of these documents," Alberti finally said.

"He's lying!" Ezio yelled, but his voice was drowned by the yelling of the crowd. "I have to get closer," he said to himself as he made his way through the crowd. As he made his way through the crowd, he could not stop wondering: what was happening? Who was framing his family and why? Why was Alberti lying about the evidence?

"In the absence to any evidence to the contrary, I am bound to pronounce you killed," Alberti boomed. "You and your collaborators are hereby sentence to death!" The executioner walked up a lever on the platform.

"You are a traitor, Ulberto, and one of them!" Giovanni yelled. "You may take our lives this day, but we will have yours in return! I swear, we will!" At that moment, there was a loud crack as the execution pulled the lever, and the trapdoor under Giovanni, Fredrico, and Petruccio opened.

"FATHER!" Ezio yelled, charging through the crowd. The hooded man was whispering to Alberti when they noticed Ezio running through the crowd.

"There!" Alberti yelled, pointing at Ezio. "Grab the boy, he's one of them!" Guards suddenly converged on Ezio from all sides and grabbed his arms to hold him back.

"I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"

"Guards, arrest him!" Alberti yelled. Ezio was able to shake off the guards and draw his sword. He stood ready to fight, at least, at first.

It was soft at first, a metallic thumping, but it slowly grew louder; then, as the crowd parted, Ezio saw it, another guard. But, it was unlike any guard he has seen before. This one was massive and brutish. The guard wore incredibly thick, heavy armor, which covered his entire body, and carried a huge battle axe in his hand.

With a single swing of his axe, the brutish guard knocked Ezio's sword out of his hand! The brute swung his axe at Ezio, who ducked at the last moment. The brute, along with a number of other guards, backed Ezio into a wall! Desperately, Ezio jumped behind a table for cover, but, with a single wing of the battle axe, the brute smashed the table to splinters! Ezio threw his throwing knives at the hulking guard, but they bounced harmlessly off the brute's armor. Ezio was outnumbered and can be easily overpowered, it was time to run.

Ezio took off; he could hear the guards chasing after him. There was no way he could outrun them, he had to get on the roofs. Ezio began scaling the wall of a nearby building and looked behind him as soon as he reached the roof. The brute was too large and heavy to climb after him, but the other guards were not. Ezio could not out run them on the roofs either; he had to find a place to hide. Ezio spotted a large cart of hay, leapt off the roof, and landed right in it. Ezio could hear them, the guards, looking for him. He even heard the heavy metallic footsteps of the brute. Ezio stayed there until he heard the guards footsteps recede. He was now sure they had given up the search for him. Even though the guards were gone, he stayed in the pile of hay, stunned by the betrayal by Alberti, and the death of his father and brothers.

A few days later, Ezio sat on a bench, still stunned of what has happened. He heard approaching footsteps and saw Annetta run up to him.

"Ezio, I've been looking everywhere for you," she panted.

"I couldn't stop them, Annetta," Ezio said. "I tried, I swear, but there were so many guards."

"Come with me, we need to get you off the streets."

"What of my mother and sister?"

"They're safe; I'll bring you to them."

"No," Ezio said. "It's too dangerous for us to travel together. Tell me where to go and I'll meet you there."

"My sister's house, just north of the Duormo," Annetta said. "I'm on my way." Annetta walked away as Ezio climbed the wall of a house.

After several minutes of climbing walls and running across rooftops, Ezio landed right in front of Annetta's sister's house, right where she said it was. Annetta was waiting for him outside.

"You made it," she said. "Come." She opened the door and the two of them went inside. Ezio was surprised when he saw the house was full of…umm…courtesans.

"I think we have the wrong building," Ezio said nervously.

"No, this is it," Annetta said. A door opened and a woman in a low-cut red dress wearing red head-dress walked out.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, _Messer_ Ezio," the woman said. "Annetta speaks quite highly of you, I can see why."

"I appreciate the kind words, _Madonna_…" Ezio said.

"_Ti prego_ (please), call me Paola."

"Thank you for offering you home to my family, Paola."

"It was the least I could do. You must be tired, perhaps you'd t-"

"_No grazie_ (No thank you), I can't stay," Ezio interrupted.

"Why?" Paola asked. "Where are you going?"

"To kill Ulberto Alberti," Ezio said grimly.

"I understand your desire for vengeance, but the _Gonfaloniere_ is a powerful man. You're not a killer Ezio-"

"Spare me the lecture," Ezio snapped.

"-but I can make you one," Paola finished.

"And, why are you going to teach me how to kill?"

"I'm not; I'm going to teach you how to survive. Discretion is paramount in my profession. We must walk the streets freely, seen but unseen. You too must learn to blend. Come." As Ezio followed Paola out of the house, the entire scene melted into white.


	8. Ch8 Secrets Revealed

Secrets Revealed

"That's got to sting," Tai groaned as he got out of the Animus.

"What?" Izzy asked.

"Ezio getting betrayed by his friend."

"How is it now?"

"How's what?"

"Being inside the Animus."

"Pretty cool actually, almost like watching a movie."

"Except, these things actually happened."

"But, why is it that the history's a little off?"

"You mean, it's not like how you learned it in the history books?"

"Yeah," Tai said.

"I think he's had enough time in the machine, for now," Lucy interrupted. Tai groaned as he got off the Animus.

"I'm going to stretch my feet outside," Tai told Izzy walking to the elevator. As the elevator closed and carried Tai to the ground floor, Izzy turned and face Lucy.

"You're having second thoughts?" he asked.

"I should never have gotten any of you involved," Lucy said.

"But, we are involved, and Tai is the only way to end it. You have to tell him sooner or later."

"And, it's better if it's sooner," Lucy sighed.

As Tai finally got to step outside, he stretched his arms out to the side. He could just tell from the clouds, there was going to be another thunderstorm tonight; good thing he was wearing his blue raincoat already. He pressed himself against the wall of the building to avoid getting trampled by the crowd of people on the side walk.

"Tai," a voice said. He turned around and saw Lucy standing behind him, in a white trench coat.

"Lucy, what are you doing out here?" Tai asked.

"I need to tell you something," she said urgently. "Not here though."

"What is it?" Tai asked as they began to walk down a dark alley.

"You know back in your digidestine days when you "saved the world"?"

"Yeah, why?"

"What if you had to save the world again?"

"Sure, but from what? Lucy?" Lucy stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. The two of them heard tires screech as a white van grinded to a halt in front of the alley.

"RUN!" Lucy yelled as the two of them sprinted down the alley. Tai never got a chance to see what was happening down the alley, or who was in the van.

"In here!" Lucy said, shoving Tai into an abandoned apartment building.

"Lucy, what's going on?" Tai asked when he got inside.

"SHH," she hushed as she slammed the door shut and locked it.

"But-"

"Tai, shut up, or I'll do it for you, please," Lucy snapped. Tai quieted down when he heard heavy footsteps walk past the door. Tai could hear eerie hollow breathing on the other side of the door. The footsteps did not stop in front of the door, and disappeared quickly.

"I think they're gone," Tai whispered. All of a sudden, a fist punched through the door and grabbed Lucy's throat! Tai rushed forwards and tried to pry the fingers off of her, but the man on the other side was too strong. Suddenly, a blade extended from under Lucy's wrist that she used to stab the hand. The man on the other side yelled and pain and pulled his hand back as Lucy's blade retracted back up her sleeve.

Tai and Lucy immediately sprinted down the halls. They could hear a loud bang as the hinges of the door behind them tore apart and the door fell down.

"What just happened back there?" Tai asked as they took shelter in an empty room. "Who were those guys?"

"The Crimson Knights," Lucy answered.

"What?!" Tai asked.

"You want to talk about this now?" Lucy asked when she heard a crashing noise down the hall.

"Quietly," she whispered as they snuck out of the room. They could hear voices down the hall and peaked around the corner. Tai finally saw who was chasing them. Down the hall were a gang of men in brown trench coats. Tai could hear their hollow breathing through their golden gas masks; as they walked, the oxygen tanks on their back clanked together. A single tube ran through the back of their masks and into the oxygen tanks.

"Let's get out of here," Tai whispered to Lucy.

"Ok," she agreed as she opened a window at the side.

"You want me to jump through the window?!"

"You said you can climb," Lucy said as she climbed through the window. "Part of climbing is landing." Tai watched her jump out and land on the ground in an empty alley. Tai sighed and slid himself through the window. Unlike Lucy, who was able to land on her feet, Tai crashed to the ground.

"I think we lost them," Tai groaned as he got to his feet.

"We didn't," Lucy said. Tai looked up and saw two more gas mask-men standing in front of them.

"Lucy?" Tai said nervously as two more gas mask-men came up behind him.

"Get back!" Lucy yelled to Tai.

"Give me a weapon!" Tai said as he backed away from the gas mask-men. When Lucy did not reply he picked up a metal bar from the ground, ready to fight. The two of them were surrounded, there was no way out. The gas mask-men were about to strike when a black van suddenly sped down the alley, ran over two of the gas mask-men, and screeched to a halt right in front of Tai. As the door opened, they saw Izzy sitting in the front seat.

"Well are you going to get in or what?" Izzy snapped. Tai and Lucy jumped into the van and Izzy sped back down the alley.

"What was that?!" Tai asked angrily when he got back to the lab. "What just happened back there?!"

"Tai, I'm sorry about-" Lucy tried to say.

"Just tell me what just happened."

"They were Crimson Knights."

"Who?!"

"A rogue faction of the Knights Templar," Izzy said.

"Knights Templar, that's from like the crusades!"

"Their faction still exists," Lucy continued. Tai looked at Izzy and Lucy, still confused.

"Back during the ancient times, a group of knights from the Knights Templar broke every code of honor they had," Izzy explained. "They began their own reign, leaving a trail of blood where ever they went."

"That is how they got their name, Crimson Knights," Lucy added. "In response to the new threat, a brotherhood was made, a brotherhood of assassins; I am, in fact, an assassin. For a long time, we've been at war with the Crimson Knights, even today. Even your ancestor, Ezio, fought them."

"Hold one sec-how do I play into all of this?" Tai asked.

"You're an assassin," Lucy said. "The assassins and the Crimson Knights are fighting today. They are unimaginably strong; there have been rumors that they even have links to several of the world's leaders."

"So you put me into the Animus so I could join this war of yours?"

"Tai, will you just wait?!" Izzy snapped.

"There's something else," Lucy said. "Back during the Renaissance, the knights were hunting for something, something powerful; they call it "The Apple"."

"They probably didn't get their hands on it, or they would have taken over the world by now," Tai said in a monotone voice.

"You're right, they didn't, but we need to find it before they do," Izzy said. "They think we have the Apple and are trying to take it from us."

"But we don't have it!"

"They don't know that. Your ancestor wielded it once, so we tried to find it in your history."

"So you did put me in the Animus to help you with your war." Lucy nodded sadly. "What about you Izzy, why are you involved?"

"She confided in me. Tai, I understand why you're mad, but this is important."

"Why couldn't you just tell me?" Tai asked.

"It was too risky," Lucy said. "The Apple is one of many Pieces of Eden. Our intention was to find out where the Apple was located, how to use it, and use it ourselves. Our original plan was to let you go as soon as we found out this."

"Why the change of plans, then?"

"If we use the Animus to learn where the artifact, only the subject will know how to wield it,"

"So you need me to use this Piece of Eden thingy?"

"Yes," Izzy answered.

"The murders, those were the knights, weren't they?"

"Yes," Lucy said. "They've left a trail of blood making their way over."

"And, the different histories, why is the history in the Animus different from the one I learned?"

"It's a cover story," Izzy answered. "The Crimson Knights didn't want the public do know what they were up to, and the Assassins didn't want people to panic."

"We're sorry we dragged you into this," Lucy said. "But, it's the only way to find the Piece of Eden."

"Fine," Tai said. "I'll help you, but you should've warned me about this. Wait a minute, if the Apple is all you want, why do you want me to learn the Assassin's skills?"

"Even with the Apple, I don't think we can win."

"We?"

"Me and the other assassins, we're losing this war; the Knights are too powerful, and every day, more of us die. We need you, Tai." Tai thought for a moment.

"Alright," he finally said. "I'm in."

"Really?! You're sure?"

"I thought you'd be happy about this."

"Sorry, I'm just a little surprised; I spent the whole ride over here figuring out how to convince you to do this."

"You said the world's at stake, I guess I can go back to saving the world again. It's part of being a digidestine, I'm ready, willing, and able." Hearing this, Lucy gratefully wrapped her arms around Tai.

"Thank you," she said. Tai walked over to the Animus and lied down. He was still a little angry about being brought into a war he never wanted to be involved in, but now that he was involved, he is responsible for making sure others are not affected by it, even if that meant ending it.

"One more thing," Tai thought. "If I help you, I don't want any of my friends of family involved in this."

"We'll try," Lucy said. "But, with how powerful the Knights are, there's no guarantee."

"How did they know where we were?"

"I found a GPS in my lab," Izzy said.

"Hold on, why bother putting a GPS? If they can access your lab, why not just hit it?"

"The Crimson Knights is like a tree, the person who put the GPS in the lab was just one of the branches, the killings are mostly done by the body of the tree," Lucy explained. "I'm uploading the memory now."

While Tai, Izzy, and Lucy were busy with the Animus, the Crimson Knights were already moving into the city. At the harbor, a freight ship had just docked, and the manager was checking the containers with his assistant.

"That's odd," the manager said.

"What is it?" the assistant asked.

"When the freight left dock, there were 157 containers, now, there are 160 of them."

"The guy at the other port probably counted wrong."

"I'm opening this container," the manager said, patting the metal, shipping container in front of him.

"Isn't that intrusion of privacy?" the assistant asked.

"Just a security check," The manager replied as he unlocked the shipping container and opened it. He jumped back in surprise when he saw that inside the container was a large gang of men in brown trench coats and golden gas masks! The Crimson Knights had stowed away into port.

"I'm sorry about this," the assistant said as he took out a knife and stabbed the manager in the stomach! As the manager stumbled back, gasping his dying breaths, he looked around and saw that all the shipping containers around him were opening and that all of them contained a small gang of the Knights. He then looked back at his assistant in disbelief. Standing beside the assistant was a pair of hulking men. Like the other knights, they were golden gas masks and had oxygen tanks on their back, but instead of wearing brown trench coats, they wore brown jump suits, and had a tangle of tubes coming out of the side of their mask. These two men were massive, even though they were hunch-backed and crouching, they were still at least a foot taller than the assistant. Hundreds of Knights leapt out of the containers and drew their swords, but the two hunch-backs were the ones who drew their battle axes and finished off the manager.

"Take the Golems and begin loading everyone into the trucks," the assistant said. "Prepare the first wave." The knights nodded and the hunchback golems began to follow them off the ship.


	9. Ch9 Ace Up My Sleeve

Ace up My Sleeve

"You can go now, girls," Paola told the other courtesans as Ezio walked back up to her. "Now that you know how to approach the enemy, we need to find you a suitable weapon."

"What would you have me use?" Ezio asked.

"Ah, but you already have the answer," Paola said, taking out a metal bracer and blade.

"Hey!" Ezio exclaimed, grabbing the bracer and blade. "My father's blade and bracer! How did you get them?"

"By using the same skills I just taught you," Paola laughed.

"It's not exactly in working condition."

"I assume you are familiar with Leonardo Da Vinci?"

"_Si_ (yes), but how does a painter factor into this?"

"He's far more than that. Bring him the pieces, you'll see," Paola said, walking back to the house.

"Before I go one last question…if I may?" Ezio asked.

"Of course."

"Why have you given you aid so readily to me, a stranger?" Ezio asked. Paola slowly rolled up her sleeve, showing a severe burn on her wrist.

"I too know betrayal," she said. As Paola went inside the house, Ezio turned and left. He knew what he was planning to do. Ulberto Alberti betrayed his family, and he has to pay; once Ezio gets a weapon, he will kill that traitor. But, what would he do after that? His entire family is wanted, and they cannot stay at Paola's forever. They will have to leave Florence; he will protect his family at ALL costs.

Ezio was pretending to be part of a group of pedestrians when he reached Da Vinci's. He broke off from the group, slid off his hood, quietly went up to his door and knocked. The cover of night should hide him for now. When no one answered, Ezio opened the door and went inside.

In the house, Leonardo was busy working on another project. He was surprised when he turned around and saw Ezio.

"Ezio Auditore!" he exclaimed. I…I didn't expect to see YOU again. What, with all that's happened…AH! Where are my manners? Welcome back!" Leonardo quickly gave Ezio a big bear hug. "Now, how can I be of service?" Leonardo asked, backing up.

"I was hoping you could repair something of mine," Ezio said.

"Of course! Come, this way." Leonardo led Ezio to his table, which was covered in papers and blueprints. "_Ah…che pasticcio…Tutto il santo giorno che cerco…_ (Oh…what a mess…I've spent the whole day looking for…) Let me clear a space." Leonardo quickly shoved all his papers to the side. "Alright, let's see it." Ezio gave Leonardo the blade, bracer, and a codex page he found with it. "Fascinating. I don't know, Ezio. Despite its age, the construction is rather advanced. I've never seen anything quite like it. I'm afraid there's not much I can do without original plans. _Mi dispiace_ (I'm sorry.)" That was when Leonardo noticed the codex page under the bracer. "Wait, wait, wait!" Leonardo said, taking the page out.

"What are you doing?" Ezio asked.

"The contents of this page are encrypted! But, if my theory is correct…based on these sketches it may very well…"

"It may very well what?"

"Please, sit."

"Leonardo," Ezio groaned.

"SHHH," the inventor shushed. Ezio, in annoyance, sat down on the nearby chair. He impatiently waited for Leonardo to finish what he was doing but eventually fell asleep. Ezio did not know how long he was asleep, but when he awoke, Leonardo Da Vinci was standing in front of him, with a metal object in his hand.

"There," he said, giving Ezio the metal bracer. "It's finished."

"What's finished?" Ezio asked, waking up.

"The blade! I managed to decode that parchment of yours. It showed me exactly what to do." Ezio reached for the bracer, but Leonardo held it back. "Now, all that's left to do is remove your ring finger," he said, holding up a knife.

"Really?" Ezio asked nervously.

"I'm sorry, but this is how it must be done. The blade is designed to ensure the "commitment" of whoever wields it." Ezio thought for moment, he did not know how much losing his finger would hurt, but, the life of the man who betrayed his family for his finger…it was a small cost.

"_Bene_ (Fine)," Ezio finally said, sticking his ring finger out and setting it on the table. "Do it quickly." Ezio slammed his eyes shut, ready to take the pain of losing his finger. He heard the sound of the knife slam into the table, but there was no pain. Ezio opened his eyes and saw that Leonardo had slammed the knife into the table, an inch from his finger.

"I was only having fun, Ezio," Leonardo laughed. "Though the blade once required a sacrifice, it's been modified. You can keep your finger." Ezio stood up and put the hidden blade on his left hand. With a flick of his wrist, the blade extended from the bracer.

"Incredible," he said. With an object this small, he could sneak it past the guards to kill Alberti. With another flick of his wrist, the blade slid back in.

"Yes it is!" Leonardo agreed. "Tell me, do you have other pages like this?"

"I'm sorry, only the one. "

"Listen, if you ever do happen across another one of these, please bring it to me."

"You have my word, and thank you for fixing this," Ezio said. They both jumped when they heard heavy pounding on the door.

"By order of the Florentine Guard, OPEN THIS DOOR!" a harsh voice ordered.

"Eh…just a moment," Leonardo called. "Wait here," he said, handing Ezio the codex page. Ezio quickly put it in his sack, which was part of his robes.

"Are you Leonardo Da Vinci?" a guard asked when Leonardo answered the door.

"_Si_ (Yes)," Leonardo said. "How may I be of service?"

"I need you to answer some questions."

"Certainly," Leonardo replied as he led the guard to the garden in the backyard of his workshop. Ezio walked to the window and observed Da Vinci and the guard talk.

"What seems to be the trouble?" Leonardo asked.

"A witness claims to have seen you consorting with an enemy of the city," the guard said.

"What! Me! Consorting? Preposterous!"

"When was the last time you saw or spoke to Ezio Auditore?"

"Who?"

"_Non fare il finto tonto_ (Don't play dumb with me)! We know you close with the family." When Leonardo shrugged, the guard shoved him to the ground. "Perhaps this will clear you head!" he yelled, kicking the inventor in the stomach. "Ready to talk?!" Another kick… "What about now?" Another kick…

Even if Leonardo does not crack under the pressure, Ezio could not stand by and watch his friend get beaten. He quietly snuck out of the house and walked up behind the guard. It was time to see how well the hidden blade works. Ezio grabbed the guard by the shoulder, forced him on his knees, and stabbed the hidden blade through the top of his head. As Ezio retracted the blade, the guard's body fell to the ground.

"_Grazie_ (Thank you), Ezio," Leonardo said, picking himself up.

"Sorry about that," Ezio said.

"I've grown accustomed to their abuses."

"What of the body?"

"Bring it inside and put it with the others."

"Others?"

"The city gives them to me for research," Leonardo explained. Ezio picked up the body and followed Da Vinci back into the workshop. Once inside, Ezio went to the back of the shop, placed it on one of the tables in the shadows, and laid a piece of cloth over the body.

"See," Leonardo said cheerfully. "Like it never even happened."

"Thank you, Leonardo…for everything."

"Any time, and remember, if you find anymore of those strange pages, bring them to me."

"Of course, now, I should really be getting back to Paola's."

"_Porgile I miei omaggi_ (Send her my regards)," Leonardo said. Ezio walked out into the night and began to make his way back to Paola's.

Everything was ready, he has his weapon, a way to approach Alberti; all he needs is to know where Alberti is. One thing still troubled Ezio, where should his family flee once this is done. He can worry about that later, he has to first make sure Alberti pays.

As Ezio reached the front door of Paola's house, he took another look at the sunrise before knocking. As Ezio entered the house, he saw Paola waiting for him.

"You were gone for quite a while," she said.

"Leonardo likes to talk," Ezio chuckled.

"That he does, but I trust you did more than talk." Ezio showed Paola the hidden blade he now had. "I've given you the skills, Leonardo's given you the blade, all that remains is the deed."

"Where can I find Ulberto?"

"According to my girls, he'll be attending an unveiling tonight of Verocchio's latest works. It will be held at the Santa Croce cloister."

"Watch over my mother and sister while I'm away."

"Of course, Ezio; as if they were my own," Paola said. Ezio left the house; it was time to do this. He went to a building from where he could see the Santa Croce cloister from. Ezio sat down on the roof and began to wait for Alberti to arrive, which did not happen until morning. The traitor was walking with his majesty, Lorenzo de' Medeci.

"Again with this!" Ulberto exclaimed.

"You have overstepped your bounds, Ulberto," Lorenzo said.

"Who are you to speak of bounds; you, who have crowned yourself Lorenzo de' Medeci _Principe _(Prince) of Firenze."

"I've done no such thing."

"Of course not, ever innocent; how convenient. At least now we get to see how far your reach extends, which is to say, nowhere at all. It has proved a valuable lesson to me and my allies."

"Yes, your allies the Pazzi. Is that what this is about?"

"Be careful with your words, Lorenzo; they might attract the wrong attention," Ulberto warned. Lorenzo glared at Alberti as they walked into the Santa Croce cloister. Once the two men entered a group of guards and a brute stood guard at the door. It is time. Ezio knew that there was no way he could get past the guards, especially the brute; Ezio has no sword. Ezio decided to take the express route; he leapt from the roof of the building to the roof of the cloister in a single bound.

Ezio could now see the Ulberto Alberti, he talking with a guest behind a painting. Ezio quietly climbed to the ground and began to walk to Alberti. This was the moment, ever since the death of his family Ezio has been waiting for this. Ezio stopped right behind Alberti.

"You?!" Alberti exclaimed when he turned around and saw Ezio. This was the moment Ezio has been waiting for. He grabbed Alberti and forced his hidden blade into the traitor's chest. As Alberti's body fell to the ground, Ezio kneeled beside the dying man. Time seemed to slow down as he looked at Alberti, listening to the man's dying gasps.

"You would have done the same to protect the ones you love," Ulberto gasped.

"Yes," Ezio said "I would, and I have!" With that said Ezio felt Alberti's life slip through his fingers and time returned to normal. "The Auditore are not dead!" Ezio yelled, standing back up. "I'm still here, ME; Ezio, Ezio Auditore!"

"_Assassino_!" a woman screamed as the crowd fled. Hearing the commotion, the guards charged in. Ezio grabbed a wooden chair, ready to fight. Ezio was able to use the chair to defend against the standard guards, but the brute's battle axe smashed it in half!

With his weapon gone, Ezio began to climb the walls of the cloister, attempting to escape. He was half way up when he heard a loud crash. He realized that, because the guards could not catch up with Ezio, they were throwing rocks at him! Luckily, he made it to the roof before a rock could hit him, Ezio probably will not be as lucky next time.

The guards, seeing Ezio had reached the roof, climbed up after him; by the time they got to the top, the Ezio was gone.


	10. Ch10 First Glimpse

First Glimpse

Tai bolted upright in his bed at home. He wiped away some sweat on his forehead, realizing that what he just saw was just a nightmare and all he needs is a glass of water. He did not know why he has been having nightmares for the past few days. Was it from being inside the Animus for too long, for the fear of losing Kari the same way Ezio lost his family? What he saw during his session inside the Animus yesterday played inside his head, how Ezio finally got his revenge. Why was Tai thinking about his ancestor anyways? Tai has other things to deal with, like getting a drink. He quietly got off of the top of his bunk bed and peaked at his little sister on the bottom bunk; she was still sound-asleep.

"Sleep tight, Kari," he quietly said to his little sister. He tip-toed out of the bedroom, shut the door behind him, and walked to the kitchen. He quickly got his drink and was about to go back to the bedroom when a loud crash caught his attention. Tai reached for a flashlight and used it to scan the room. There was nothing in sight, nothing that could have made that noise, but he knew what he heard. Tai slowly walked into the living room, ready to face anything that comes out. A shadow caught Tai's eye and immediately grabbed the object closest to him, ready to fight off anything that comes out.

"Tai?" a voice asked. Tai was about the slam the object in his hand on the shadow's head when he realized it was just his sister, Kari.

"Kari, don't do that!" Tai said. "I nearly killed you!"

"With a candy bar?" Kari asked. Tai looked at the candy bar that he had picked up off the table in surprise. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, just a rough night," Tai sighed, looking out the window. It had just stopped raining, so it was still dank. "Pack your things. We're getting out of here."

"What?" Kari exclaimed as Tai grabbed an old book bag from the closet. "Why?" she asked as her older brother went to the pantry and began stuffing the bag with food.

"I still don't understand, Tai," Kari said to her older brother.

"Mom and Dad are on a business trip in Germany so it's my job to look after you," Tai said as they walked down the street towards the subway.

"But what are we running from?" Kari asked as they went down the cement stairs of the subway.

"We're not running from anything," Tai said as he looked at the subway map.

"We're carrying two book bags full of food and water. What else would we be doing if not running?"

"With all these attacks, I thought it might be safer to go somewhere else."

"Why would our house be attacked?" Kari asked as she took some money out of her purse for her ticket.

"The attacks are random, but this town is in the path of destruction," Tai explained as he and his little sister paid for their tickets.

"Where are we going?" Kari asked as they waited for their subway.

"Izzy's place."

"Doesn't he live in his lab?"

"It's not as bad as it seems, I've been there before."

"Does his lab have a bed?" Kari asked.

"We'll figure it out when we get there," Tai groaned. He saw the tunnel light up from the subway's headlights as he screeched to a grinding halt in front of the platform. "Let's go," Tai said as they got on a subway car. After laying their bags at their feet, Tai and Kari sat down and Tai laid his head back for the long ride. Pretty soon, he fell asleep.

When Tai woke up, he was stunned to find himself on the ground at the docks. He picked himself up and looked around.

"Kari!" he yelled, but there was no answer. He had to find his little sister, maybe someone else had seen her, but there was no one else around. The silence of the docks was shattered by the ominous sound of marching. Tai followed the sound, if there was marching, there were people. As he walked around the corner of a shipping crate, he immediately jumped back at the sight. In front of him was a massive army of Crimson Knights; row after row of knights marched past; to where, Tai did not care. The army was still marching when Tai noticed something, a figure standing atop a shipping container, staring down at his army. Tai could not tell who it was; the figure wore a hood that cast a shadow over his face. The figure noticed Tai and looked straight at him, the college student felt the figure's unseen eyes burning through him.

Tai bolted up, nearly hitting his head off of the window of the subway.

"You alright?" Kari asked.

"I'm fine," Tai said, rubbing the bruised spot on his head; the entire experience was a dream.

"Rough night?" a voice asked. Tai noticed a person standing in the corner, in the shadows, of the subway car, under a broken light, a few feet away from him.

"Actually, yes," Tai replied. He could barely tell what the man in the corner looked like; the only thing that the shadow did not cover up was the figure's black trench coat. Tai took note of that the figure wore black leather gloves, almost like the kind worn by murderers, and the figure's right hand was covered in some sort of metal armor.

"It seems like everyone is having a rough night these days," the figure said. He shifted his head half out of the shadows, where Tai finally got a better glimpse of the figure's face, at least part of his face. "I wonder if their reasons are the same as yours," the figure continued as Tai examined the figure's stiff, expressionless face.

"I doubt it."

"I do not see why not. They are worried about the attacks; you are worried about the attacks. You are also concerned for the well being of your sister, Kari."

"How'd you know that?" Tai asked, unnerved by how much this figure knew. "Who are you?"

"I know a lot about you, Tai Kamiya," the figure said, walking out of the shadow. The lights finally shone on the figure's black hood. "You cannot run…you cannot hide; we will always find you."

"Kari, get up," Tai said.

"What's going on?" Kari asked.

"No time, come on!" Tai forced his sister to her feet and they began to make their way to the back of the subway car. Tai turned back around when he heard screaming from the front of the car, and then he saw them, the Crimson Knights.

"Go!" Tai yelled as he and his sister forced their way to the back of the car. Tai quickly opened the door when they reached the back of the subway car.

"Be careful, Tai," Kari said as Tai jumped to the car behind them and opened the door. He grabbed his sister's hand and pulled her to the other car just as the Knights reached the back of the other car. As one of the Knights tried to jump to the other car, Tai grabbed the knight's sword, yanked it out of his hand, and shoved the knight out of the car!

With a sword in Tai's hand, he and his sister began to shove their way to the back of the subway train. Tai could hear the Knight's hollow breathing as they pushed through the crowd of people on the subway. Every time they reached the back of one subway car, they quickly jumped to the one behind it. Tai took and quick glance behind him to quickly see how far the Knights are from them. As he looked back up front, he crashed into the door at the very back of the subway. Tai did not even hesitate to open the door of the back of the subway.

"Onto the roof!" Tai yelled to his sister. He looked up at the roof of the subway, that had little over five feet of clearance from the ceiling of the tunnel, just barely enough to climb on. As soon as Tai got on the roof, he pulled Kari up on it.

"Stay down!" he yelled. Tai tightened his grip on the sword as he waited for the Knights to get on the roof. When Tai saw the first one begin the climb up, he kicked the knight in the head and watched as the knight fell off the subway!

"Tai!" Kari screamed. Tai whipped around and saw the knights were climbing onto the roof from the other side of the train car. Tai quickly rushed over, grabbed a knight by the collar, and threw him into the wall of the tunnel! Tai quickly kicked the other knight in the face and watched him fall under the train car. As Tai turned and faced the back of the train, he jumped back in surprise when he saw a Knight and a Golem standing a few feet away.

"Let me fight!" Kari yelled as Tai began to fence with the Knight, but he did not respond. Fighting on top of the subway was dangerous and he was not going to put his sister in harm's way.

The Knight lunged at Tai, who was able to dodge the attack at the last second. Tai kicked the knight in the face, but stumbled backwards in pain when his shin accidentally hit the metal helmet. As the Knight lunged at Tai again, Kari quickly kicked the knight in the back and he fell off the train. There was not enough room for the Golem to swing his axe, so he grabbed Tai by the throat, lifting him into the air.

"Uh-oh!" Tai said when he saw something behind the Golem. Tai punched the Golem in the throat, and he was released. The massive brute turned around to see what Tai was afraid of but only got a glimpse of the metal bar at the top of the subway tunnel; the bar slammed into the Golem, who fell off the back of the subway. Tai quickly looked around to make sure there were no more knights.

"You okay?" Tai asked his little sister as the train came to a screeching halt at the stop. Kari nodded to Tai. "We're at our stop." Tai and Kari got off the top of the train and walked into the crowd that was getting in and out of the subway. Only the passengers that rode their train knew what happened.

"What happened back there, Tai?" Kari asked.

"Not now," Tai whispered. "Wait until we get to Izzy's place." They quietly walked out of the subway, hoping they do not run into more knights. They were able to get into the building without being seen. As they rode the elevator up to the lab, Tai explained everything.

"So these Knights are responsible for the attacks?"

"Yeah, I'm only doing this for Izzy," Tai replied. "I don't think these Knights are anything special."

"Then, why did we leave the house?"

"In case they attack us."

"What about TK?"

"He'll be fine, he's visiting Matt."

"So?"

"They'll probably go deaf as soon as they hear his singing."

"Come on, Tai; you're still not mad over that?"

"I'm just saying, they'll okay," Tai said, as the elevator door opened to the lab.

"Tai, welcome back," Lucy said warmly. She was back in her white tank top and was working at the podium. "This is your sister?"

"Yeah, I'm Kari," Kari said.

"Hey, Tai," Izzy said as he walked out of the backroom.

"Hey, Izzy!" Kari said happily. It has been a long time since they have seen each other.

"Listen, Izzy, do you have a place for me and Kari to hunker down?" Tai asked.

"Sure," Izzy said. "Just back here." He led Kari into the backroom.

"Ready for another session?" Lucy asked.

"Yup," Tai said, laying back down on the Animus.

"You're all sweaty, what happened?"

"Ran into the Knights on my way here."

"What! Where?"

"On the subway, what's wrong?"

"The Knights have never attacked in broad daylight before, their getting bolder."

"That's the reason I brought Kari with me. I don't think it's safe in my apartment anymore. I don't want to put her in danger."

"She safe here," Lucy said as Tai lied down on the Animus bed. He watched as the world around him faded to white.


	11. Ch11 Arivederci

Arivederci

(Goodbye)

Ezio slid off his hood and let himself in to Paola's house, where she was waiting for him. She could tell from Ezio's expression that his family had been avenged. Paola put her arms around Ezio comfortingly. Alberti, a man who called himself a friend of the Giovanni's, a man they once trusted, the man who killed Ezio's father and brothers, the man who betrayed his family, was dead. Ulberto Alberti has shattered the Giovanni family and put it on a road to an unknown future.

"I think it's best I leave Firenze," Ezio said.

"Where will you go?" Paola asked.

"My uncle, Mario, own a villa near Monteriggioni ."

"You are still a wanted man, Ezio," Paola warned.

"I have no choice, I have to get my family out of here," Ezio said. Paola sadly nodded. She turned around and clapped her hands.

"_Madre_ (Mother)?" Ezio asked in surprise when he saw a nurse lead his mother and sister from the room upstairs.

"Ezio!" Claudio yelled happily. "Where have you been?! They wouldn't let us leave, and mother…she hasn't spoken a single word since we left the house." Ezio wrapped his arms around his mother and sister. "Father will need to sort things out. Where is father? And Fredrico? And Petruccio?" Ezio simply remained silent when he heard the question.

"Something's happened," Ezio finally said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Claudia asked. Ezio's somber expression and silence answered her question. "No, it's impossible!"

"I did everything I could, _piccina_ (little one)," Ezio said as Claudia burst into tears. He put his arms around his little sister and said, "Listen, right what matters is getting us someplace safe. But, to do that, I need you to stay focused. Do you understand?" Claudia nodded through her tears. "Good, will you watch over mother for me?" Claudia walked over to their mother and led her to the door. "Then we are ready," Ezio said to Paola. "Thank you again, for everything."

"Stay safe, Ezio; stay vigilant, I suspect the road ahead is yet long," Paola said, kissing him on the cheek. As Ezio left, he slid his hood back on. Even after Ezio left the house, Paola watched as he led his family through the streets until they were out of her sight.

Ezio could finally see it, the walls surrounding Firenze. If they could reach the gate they would be free. This was one of the thoughts in his mind, the other one was: What was that noise?! Ezio noticed that minstrels had begun following them, hoping for money, not just one but three! As Ezio stopped walking, the three traveling musicians sung the worst "music", if you could call it that, he has ever heard. Ezio had neither the time nor the mood for the minstrels, and he angrily punched one in the nose. The punched singer stood there for a moment, stunned at what just happened. After a moment, he shoved the minstrel next to him to the ground and the three singers ran off, leaving their lutes behind.

Ezio could finally see the gate, but there was a problem, the gate was completely surrounded by guards. If they go through the gate, the guards will notice them, and Ezio was the only one who could climb. There was only one way to get through. He led his family to the side.

"Stay here," he said. "And, try not to be seen." Ezio turned around and walked towards a group of courtesans. He quietly whispered to them, and then gave them a small sack of money; it was the only money he had, the only thing he was able to take from his house. As he walked back to his mother and sister, the courtesans flirtingly walked to the guards, who left their posts to flirt back.

This was Ezio's chance. He and his family walked by the guards, who were too busy flirting with the courtesans to notice what happened. Finally, they were out of Florence. Ezio looked at the road sign to figure out where to travel.

"Alright, this way," Ezio said, leading his family down a dirt road.

"How could this have happened to us?" Claudia finally asked.

"I don't know," Ezio said flatly.

"Will we ever be back?"

"I don't know."

"What will happen to our house?"

"I don't know!"

"Were they…were they given a proper burial?" Claudia asked. Ezio became silent when he heard this, he could still remember what his hands felt as a traitor's blood ran down them.

"Yes, they were," Ezio finally said. As he led his family down the long road, day slowly turned to night.

"Stay close," he said. Even if it looked like they did not have much, they were still a possible target for thieves, bandits, and other criminals. One thing still bothered Ezio; he still did not know what to do once he reached his uncle's place. He was still thinking about that when he noticed a figure walk onto the road. Ezio immediately stopped when he saw who the figure was.

"_Buon Giorno_ (Good day), Ezio," Vieri de' Pazzi said. Ezio and his family slowly backed up when a huge gang of guards walked out of the bush and stood by Vieri. "How could leave Firenze without saying a proper goodbye?"

"Ezio!" Claudia said when a single guard came out of the bush behind them.

"What do you want, Vieri?" Ezio asked. The only thing Ezio had was his hidden blade and two daggers so he was not looking for a fight.

"So many things!" Vieri said. "A larger palazzo, two new steeds, a prettier bride, oh, and yes…your life." One of the guards standing behind Vieri charged up to Ezio. "My condolences for the loss of your father and brothers. What will happen, now that there is no one left to help you? I have such wonderful things in store for your mother and sister."

The guard charging towards Ezio thought the wanted man was unarmed and thought he could take Ezio down without a sword. The guard was surprised when a hidden blade suddenly extended out of Ezio's sleeve and into his chest. Ezio suddenly noticed a guard circling his mother and sister. Ezio ran up to the guard and slashed at him, but he already knew of Ezio's hidden blade and was able to jump back. Ezio and the guard began circling each other, waiting for the other to make a false move. When the guard finally lunged, Ezio jumped back leapt off the side of tree at the side of the road, and landed right on the guard. As Ezio stood back up, he pulled his blade out of the guard's neck.

"I grow tired of this game," Vieri said. "Finish him, and do not spare the women!" Eight of the guards drew their swords and charged at Ezio. They were no more than four feet away when arrows suddenly flew out of the brush. All the guards fell to the ground, dead, as the arrows met their mark.

"What sorcery is this?!" Vieri exclaimed.

"Now sorcery, boy; skill!" a voice cackled.

"Show yourself!" Vieri demanded, drawing his sword.

"As you wish," the voice said. A single bulky man, wearing ragged clothing, walked out of the brush. Vieri took a step backwards in surprise when he saw the man, noticing a deep scar in the man's left eye. Vieri nearly toppled backwards when a huge gang of burly men walked out of the bush, carrying huge battle axes and massive swords, called claymores.

"Here, use this!" the ragged man said, throwing Ezio a normal sword.

"Kill them!" Vieri screamed. "KILL THEM ALL!" The ragged man drew his own sword. The blade was now wavy and deformed from the number of battles it has been in, but still sharp. Vieri fled at this sight, leaving his men to fight this gang of "Schwarzeneggers".

Ezio did not have to do anything; the gang of men was able to easily overwhelm the guards. No sword could block the attacks delivered from the battle axes and claymores. Ezio joined the gang as they surrounded the final guard. After seeing all his comrades fall, the guard dropped his sword and fled. It was over, Ezio and his family was lucky that this man and his gang appeared when they did. Ezio walked up to the ragged man.

"You have my thanks," Ezio said, bowing and holding the sword out.

"Keep the sword, Ezio" the man said.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Ezio asked. How did this man know his name?

"You don't recognize me? It's a-me, Mario!"

"Uncle Mario?" Ezio said in surprise as Mario gave Ezio a huge bear hug.

"It's been too long _nipote_ (nephew), far too long!" Mario said. "I've heard what happened in Firenze…terrible. Come; let's get you all away from here." Mario and his gang led Ezio and his family to the Monteriggioni. As they entered the city, the gang went their separate ways.

"So, tell me everything," Mario said as he led Ezio and his family through the streets.

"They executed Father for treason, Fredrico and Petruccio too," Ezio explained. "Then, they came for me."

"Do you know why?"

"I have no answers, Uncle…only a list of names taken from a man who wanted me dead. I still can't believe they're gone."

"Don't worry; we will make sense of this."

"I wish I shared your optimism."

"Come on, keep pace; we're almost there. I think you'll find much to like in Monteriggioni."

"I thought Monteriggioni was an enemy of Firenze."

"For now, next year it will be its friend, the year after its enemy again; and on and on. I cannot keep track, so I've stopped trying. These are honest, hardworking people. Our shops may only carry simple goods, but they are well made and dependable. There's a chapel here too, the _prete_ (priest) seems to be a nice enough fellow, but I've never been much of a believer." Mario began to lead Ezio and his family up the steps leading to a huge mansion. "Did you know that the Villa Auditore is almost 200 years old? It was built by my great-grand father, a strange man, who carried all kinds of secrets. Keep your eyes open and you may discover a few of them yourself. With all the fighting going on, this place has been getting a little rough around the edges…I wish I could do something about it but I don't have the time or money to fix things up. Guess, that's life?" They finally stopped in front of the huge mansion. "Here we are; _casa dolce casa_ (home sweet home). So, what do you think?" Mario asked. Ezio was less than impressed. The house may have been huge, but it ragged and torn with vines growing on the walls, the columns crumbling, and the shutters were nearly falling off.

"It's most impressive, Uncle," Ezio said.

"She'd seen better days I suppose. Believe me; I'd have her shining again…if I only had the time. Now that you've had the tour _nipote_ (nephew), we can begin."

"Begin? Begin what?"

"I thought you'd come here to train?"

"No, Uncle, I came here to escape Firenze. I intend to take my family further still."

"But, what about your father, he'd want you to finish his work."

"What work?" Ezio asked. "My father was a banker."

"Wait…he did not tell you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"_Ma che mi combini_ (What were you thinking), Giovanni?" Mario said to himself. "Where to even begin? Go explore the house; it will give me time to think."

"But-"

"But that's that. We'll talk more later, I you find yourself in need of rest, I've prepared a room for you on the top floor of the villa." With that said, Mario turned and walked away as Ezio led his family into the villa. While the outside of the mansion was worn down and ragged, the inside was incredible. The main hall was glittering with white marble staircases that led to dozens of other rooms. The house seemed symmetrical with where the rooms and staircases were.

"Don't worry," Ezio said. "We're only staying here for a little while."

"I don't like it here," Claudia said. "I want to go home."

"I know," Ezio replied sadly. Claudia took his mother's arm and led her upstairs, looking for the bedroom, while Ezio walked off to explore the villa, like his uncle said. The house was almost like a maze at first, it was difficult to remember which hall or room lead to what. Eventually, Ezio finally figured it out.

Ezio walked into his Uncle's study and saw Mario waiting for him.

"Now, let's teach you how to fight," Mario said, standing up from his desk.

"No," Ezio said flatly. "As I said, we are leaving."

"Ezio! You barely held your own against Vieri. You won't survive a week on the road. If you want to leave, so be it; but at least do so armed with the skill and knowledge necessary to defend yourself; if not for me, then for your mother and sister."

"Fine."

"_Ottimo _(Very good)!" Mario said as he led Ezio to the front of the Villa, where there was a grassy ring between the house and the steps leading up to it.

"You said my father was more than a banker?" Ezio asked.

"No use dancing around it, I suppose. Your father was an assassin, Ezio."

"I told you before; my father was a paper pusher."

"No, he was born and bred to kill. Giovanni was part of a creed of assassins whose job was to maintain peace and order and fight for justice; watching over humanity as it developed. He fought against the assassin's mortal enemies, the Crimson Knights, who wanted to seize power by any means necessary. I assume you heard this tale before."

"Yes, but all this talk of assassins and knights, it reeks of fantasy!"

"Like something from an old parchment covered in arcane writing, perhaps?"

"How did you know?"

"You have your father's blade. I figured you'd have the Codex page he was holding as well." As Ezio and Mario got into the ring, the scene faded to white.


	12. Ch12 Nemesis Revealed

Nemesis Revealed

Tai groaned as he got out of the Animus.

"So, what happened in there?" Lucy asked.

"The Mario Brothers happened," Tai laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"What?"

"It's a-me, Mario!" Tai mimicked, but Lucy still looked confused. "Never mind. I'm going to check up and Kari, see how she's getting used to the place."

"Okay," Lucy said as she turned back to the podium. Tai went into the backroom and was surprised to see two beds in it, Kari was on one of the, reading a book.

"So, how're you hanging?" Tai asked.

"I still don't get it," Kari said.

"Get what?"

"If you don't think these Knight things are dangerous, why'd you bring me here?"

"Just to be safe, I'm your big brother."

"And, I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself."

"If you could take care of yourself, you wouldn't have gone out with TK."

"What's wrong with TK? He's sweet."

"Yeah, but for how long? How do you know he won't just go for the next good looking girl?"

"He won't, I trust him. Just talk to him when you get the chance, you'll like him," Kari said.

"I don't think so," Tai replied, leaving the room. As he stepped back into the lab, he saw Izzy working at a machine beside a pile of crates.

"What's that?" Tai asked.

"My new invention," Izzy said. Tai looked at the strange, air-cleaner sized, machine. It had a large, metal coils mounted on a metal plate. On the end of the coil was a large metal ring.

"It is a…"

"It's an oversized Tesla Coil."

"Yes, and that is?"

"You've seen those science fiction movies where the mad scientists have these weird machines that have streams of electricity going between them? Those are Tesla Coils. Unlike the other Tesla Coils, that have electricity going out in all directions, this focuses all its electricity in a single direction, almost like a cannon!"

"Like Fallout 3's Tesla Cannon!"

"What?" Izzy asked.

"You never played Fallout 3 before?" Tai asked back, but he was not too surprised. Izzy was busier with his projects.

"It still needs a few tweaks. What's incredible about this is its electrical output is greater than its electrical input!" Despite Izzy's excitement, Tai was dumbfounded. "The problem with generators is that they use more energy than they make, that's the problem with anything involving power. If this works, we can revolutionize the way we make energy!"

"That's great, Izzy," Tai said, still confused. "It LOOKS like Fallout 3's Tesla Cannon!" Tai walked over to Lucy and said: "Back on the train, there was this old guy who seemed to be ordering the knights." Lucy froze and turned pale. "What is it?"

"That was Cronen," Lucy finally said. "He's the leader of the Crimson Knights."

"How'd he know so much about me?"

"The knights have almost unlimited resources. If they want something, they'll find a way to get it, and they'll silence anyone who gets in the way."

"So, if they want a way to get in here, they'll find a way."

"Eventually, but if they do, we'd know about it. Haven't you been up since four in the morning?" Lucy asked. Tai sleepily nodded. "Why don't you get some sleep? I'll find something else to do?"

"Thanks," Tai yawned as he walked into the backroom. Kari was already asleep on her bed, and Tai laid down on his, but he did not go to sleep. He stared at the ceiling, wondering what will happen now. Tai was now part of a war, a war that might take everything away from him. He did not want to abandon is friend, Izzy, on this, but he did not want Kari to get caught in the middle of it either. Should he fight back? What would happen if he does? Who would he lose? Tai was still wondering about this when he finally fell asleep, where he began to dream about Ezio's life, after his training.


	13. Ch13 What Goes Around

What Goes Around

"Well done _nipote_ (nephew)," Mario congratulated. "You've really come into your own."

"Thank you, Uncle," Ezio said. "For all you've given me."

"Your family! Such is my duty and my desire."

"I'm glad you have stay."

"Good! You reconsidered leaving," Mario said happily, but Ezio turned away.

"We sail for Spain in three days," he said.

"But, _nipote _(nephew), I've given you these skills that you might be better prepared to strike against our enemies."

"And if they find me, I will."

"You want to leave, Ezio? To throw away everything your father fought and died for? To deny your heritage? Fine! _Come Vuoi arrivederci e buona fortuna_ (So be it, goodbye and good luck)." Mario stormed off back into the villa.

"Uncle, wait," Ezio called, but Mario was already inside. "Why is he so upset?" Ezio asked one of Mario's men, who was standing beside Ezio.

"How can he not be?" the man asked. "Vieri's been harassing us ever since you arrived. To be expected, I suppose, given his heritage." Ezio spent the next hour wandering around the town, wondering what he should do. Was his family safe here? Out of everything he planned for when he left, he never anticipated his father being an assassin. He always planned on running away, this fact changes everything. After an hour of thinking, Ezio finally made up his mind. He went back into the house, looking for Uncle Mario, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Uncle!" Ezio called as he went to Mario's study, but one of his gang members was there instead. "Where is everyone?" Ezio asked the gang member.

"They ride for San Gimignano to slay that snake, Vieri."

"I wish to join them."

"You'll find what you need at the stables," the gang member said, closing the book he was looking at and left. Ezio knew what he had to do, but he had to do something else first: he had to check on his family. They should be up in the bedroom. Instead of taking the stairs up to the bedroom, he climbed a column that led up to a balcony that led to the bedroom. That was where he found his mother, who was kneeling in front of the bed, praying; Claudia was standing behind her.

"Ezio, look at her," Claudia said. "I still can't get her to talk! She spends all day and night in front of those feathers Petruccio used to collect. She can't let him go; I don't know what to do."

"Don't worry, she'll come back," Ezio said. "I know it." He noticed a box resting on a drawer at the side of the room. He recognized it as the box that Petruccio used to hold his eagle feathers. Ezio walked over to the box, opened it, and put the eagle feather he found almost a week ago in it. He wished he could stay and find a way to bring his mother back, but he did not know how and he did not have the time. Now, he has to find Mario, then, he will find and kill Vieri.

Ezio went to the stables and quickly got a horse, which he used to ride to San Gimignano, part of Mario's training of Ezio included horseback riding. As Ezio arrived at the edge of the city, he saw Mario and an army of men waiting outside.

"Ezio, what are you doing here?" Mario asked as Ezio galloped up to him.

"Taking responsibility," Ezio said, dismounting from the horse. "Vieri troubles you because of me."

"Vieri troubles us because he is a Knight, and we are Assassins."

"Either way, I wish to help."

"_Va bene_ (Alright). Then listen close. First, we must find a way inside the city, though it seems Vieri expects it. He has sealed the gates and sent his men to guard them. Fortunately for us, the city is larger than his host. The city's southern gate suffers for it. So this is it, where we'll strike. _Prono_ (Ready)?"

"Yes," Ezio said. He looked up at the night sky. The darkness of night hid Mario's forces at a distance, and caused Ezio's hood to cast a shadow over his face, which made him look even more ominous. He followed Mario and his men to the edge of the city.

"Alright, Ezio. Here's how it's going to work. My men and I will distract the guards. Once we've engaged them, get yourself over the wall and find a way to open the gate. Take these throwing knives, use them to dispatch the archers."

"I'm ready when you are."

"Then, let us begin," Mario said. He and his men began to sneak along the wall towards the guards, who were oblivious to what was about to happen. _All'attacco_ (Charge)!" he yelled. They all charged at the guards, smashing through the lines. The guards were so surprised about the sudden attack half of them were cut down before they could even draw their swords.

As Mario was busy with the guards, Ezio began to search for a way in. The wall was too high and had no edges Ezio could use to climb; however, there was a stack of boxes at the wall that would give him enough height to get over the wall. Ezio jumped on the box and onto the wall. Once on the wall, he could see an archer standing guard on a roof. The guard just heard the metal clashing out front and turned around. Ezio threw one of his throwing knives at the archer, which met its mark; the archer fell off the roof and into the streets. Ezio could not see the crank that would open the door, which was across the town. He jumped off the roof, landed on the ground, and blended into the crowd in the streets. The citizens were attracted to the battle at the gates, which allowed Ezio to make his way to the gates. The guards that were supposed to guard the crank were already on the other side of the gate, busy fighting Mario's men. Ezio went to the crank the turned the handle, opening the gate. The guards were so busy fighting that they did not notice Ezio open the gate and join the battle. The area surrounding the gate was flooded by the sound of metal meeting metal in a fierce battle. The guards were easily overwhelmed by Mario's forces; there was no sword that could block the attack delivered from a battle axe of claymore.

As they finished off the last guard, Ezio joined Mario and his men as they entered the city. The citizens, seeing the guards' defeat and the gates open, fled for their lives.

"Well done, Ezio," Mario said as he led his men through the streets. "We're in! This way, men!" The group marched through the street, clearing any small skirmishes of guards they encountered, but most of them fled at the sheer sight at the size of Mario's forces. They all suddenly came to a halt when they saw a small group of guards standing at the side of the road. Ezio realized the guards were different than the normal ones, they wore lighter armor and even had a feather in their helmet; they were obviously built for running.

"Ezio, I want you to distract those guards and keep them from raising the alarm," Mario said. Hopefully it will buy me enough time to find and silence Vieri."

"_Va bene_ (Alright)," Ezio said, drawing his sword.

"Wait, _nipote_ (nephew). Take a few of my men with you…just to be safe. Come join me once they're dealt with." Mario and most of his forces turned and snuck down another street, while ten of his men stayed with Ezio. While he wanted to just charge at these guards, Ezio knew that definitely cause them to raise the alarm; he had to find a way to keep them busy first.

"Stay here," Ezio whispered. "Wait for my signal." He climbed up the side of a house and jumped onto the roof. He looked back down at Mario's men; their burly bodies and heavy weapons made it impossible for them to climb. Ezio turned back and looked at the runners down below; he could hear them talk amongst themselves.

"What's Vieri up to now?" one of them asked.

"No one knows," the runner across from him said. "But, something's got him on edge. How else do you explain all the patrols?"

"We're supposed to be soldiers, and instead he turned us into nursemaids. And why?"

"Shooting his mouth off again, no doubt, angering the wrong sorts of people; and now, we pay the price."

Ezio put his hands to his mouth and made a bird-like whistle; Mario's men knew that was their signal. They slowly crept up the side of the house, ready to strike.

Ezio took out his throwing knives and threw them at a runner. They all looked up, saw Ezio on the roof, and began to climb up the house Ezio was standing on. Suddenly, Mario's men jumped out of the shadows, slicing through the climbing guards! Any guard who jumped down and tried to fight back was overwhelmed, and the ones that continued climbing were cut down by Ezio. One of the runners took off down the street; he was going to raise the alarm. While Mario's men ran on ground level, Ezio stayed on the roof. The height gave him an advantage when he threw his last throwing knife at the runner. The knife may have only hit the runner in the leg, but it slowed him down enough for Mario's men to catch up and cut him down.

Without anyone to pull the alarm, Vieri's forces will not receive any reinforcements. Ezio smiled at this thought as he led the gang of burly men down the road. His smile suddenly disappeared when he came across an alley that was littered with the bodies of guards and Mario's men. He searched the bodies, hoping not to find his uncle among them.

"Ezio!" one of his men called. "This one's still alive." Ezio ran up to one of Mario's injured men, who was laying against the side of a well.

"What happened here?" Ezio asked, giving the man some of his water in his canteen.

"Your uncle's under attack and needs help," the man gasped. "Go to him!" Ezio could now hear the sound of battle not too far across town.

"I don't think I have enough men."

"Old man, Daeman, is headed this way with reinforcements. Mario told him what happened to you, and he is on his way. Help your uncle until then."

"What? How can Daeman fight?" Ezio asked, but he felt the injured man's life slip through his fingers. Ezio knew he did not have time to wonder about Daeman, he never has time to think about anything anymore. He and his men charged through the streets, trying to find a way to Mario's.

"Go!" Ezio yelled when they could finally see Mario and his men. They were battling a huge number of other guards around a small well. Ezio charged into the feud and knocked two of the guards into the well. Time to put Mario's lessons to the test. Ezio sliced through the first guard and took the guard's sword. Ezio has to make sure his uncle was ok; Mario was the only family he had left. With two swords in hand, Ezio sliced his way through the guards to uncle.

"There you are, _nipote_ (nephew)," Mario yelled over the clashing of swords. He blocked the attack from a guard, kicked him between the legs, and stabbed the guard through the heart. "It seems like my plan has hit something of a snag."

"I can see that!" Ezio yelled as he sliced through another guard.

"Vieri's men ambushed us and now we've got our hands full. Daeman's on his way with reinforcements, I want you go on ahead and root out that snake. Fine Vieri, see that justice is served!"

Ezio nodded as he finished off a guard, dumping his body into a pile of hay. Ezio ran out of the battlefield and onto the roof. As he reached the roof, Ezio saw a massive stampede of soldiers on horses charging towards the city. Ezio recognized the man leading the charge as Daeman. A few arrows were shot from the guard towers into the stampede, but a storm of flaming arrows were shot back.

The reinforcements have arrived, it was time to find and finish Vieri. Ezio may not know where Vieri is, but he could find that snake. As Ezio leapt from roof to roof, searching the town for Vieri, the long night and battle continued. Ezio stopped on the roof of a clock tower to take a moment to think of what to do. He has searched nearly the entire town, and no sign of Vieri. As Ezio sat down, he noticed a group of people entering the town, one of them was Vieri. Ezio quickly climbed down onto a lower roof, he has to see what is happening. He leaned over the edge of the roof so he could hear Vieri talking with an adult version of him and an extremely old, bald, wrinkly version. Ezio noticed that among the three men was a fourth, hooded, man. He suddenly realized that this was the exact same man who was at his father and brother's murder.

"It's settled," the hooded man hissed in a chilling, snake-like voice. "Vieri, you will remain here and coordinate the _mercenari_ (mercenaries)." Vieri bowed slightly when he heard this. "Francesco will organize our forces in the city and send word when it is time to strike." The adult version of Vieri nodded in response. "Jacopo, your job is to calm the citizens once the deed is done." The old, bald, wrinkly version of Vieri nodded.

"What of that _ubriacone_ (drunkard), Mario?" Vieri asked. "He continues to harass my forces and I fear he will discover what we intend."

"He'll always be trouble," Francesco said. "Just like that scum-bag brother of his."

"Then, let me reunite them, father!"

"There will be plenty of time to clean up the _rifiuti_ (trash) when we're finished," the hooded figure said. "Now, is there anything else?"

Ezio's fists clenched when he heard this. There was no doubt now, the Pazzi are somehow responsible for his father's murder. Ezio may not know how, but he WILL find out.

"Muy bien," the hooded man said. "May the Father of Understanding guide you."

"May the Father of Understanding guide you," the other three Pazzi said in unison. As they left, one of the soldiers ran up to Vieri.

"_Commandante! Commandante!_ (Commander! Commander!)," he yelled.

"What?" Vieri asked in annoyance.

"Mario Auditore has invaded the city! He comes for you!"

"Then let's not keep him waiting," Vieri said smoothly as he followed a group of guards into one of the guard towers.

Ezio took a running start and leapt to the roof across the street. Ezio could see Vieri at the top of the tower. If only Ezio had not used his throwing knives he could have killed Vieri from where he stood. Ezio jumped over to the guard tower and began to climb. As he made his way up, he could not help but remember all those stories he heard when he was a child about how a prince would climb up to the princess's tower to show their affection for one another. Ezio was definitely going to show his affection for Vieri…show his affection for stuffing Vieri's severed head in a bag!

As Ezio reached the top of the tower, he grabbed the nearest guard and pulled the guard off the wall. Vieri whipped around when he saw Ezio climb up onto the tower.

"Fear not, Ezio!" Vieri jeered. "I'll make sure your death comes swiftly." When one of the guards at the side of the tower grabbed Ezio, Ezio extended his hidden blade, stabbed it into the guard's throat, retracted the blade, and shoved the body off the side of the tower. Ezio picked up the mace the guard was carrying as he marched towards Vieri. Another guard lunged at Ezio, but Ezio slammed the mace into the guard's stomach. As the guard doubled over, Ezio smashed the mace into the guard's face! Ezio dropped the mace as he marched towards Vieri, who was beginning to become nervous about how easily Ezio was able to dispose of those two guards. Ezio took out the dagger at his waist. Vieri swung at Ezio, who blocked with his hidden blade and stabbed Vieri in the chest with his dagger. As soon as Vieri hit the ground, Ezio pulled him back up by the collar.

"What are you and your allies planning?" Ezio demanded to know. "Is this what my father discovered? Is this why he was killed?!"

"I'm sorry," Vieri said weakly. "Were you hoping for a confession?" No, not yet, Vieri cannot die yet, not until he has explained what was happening, but Vieri's life slipped between Ezio's fingers. It was too late, any secrets Vieri kept died with him. Ezio roared with rage, violently shaking Vieri's body, cursing loudly.

"_Vorrei solo che avessi sofferto di più! __Hai avuto la fíne che meritavi! Spero che bru-_ (I only wished you suffered more! You met the fate you deserved! I hope you-)"

"Enough, Ezio," a deep voice said strictly. Ezio looked up and saw Daeman standing a few feet away. "Show some respect."

"Respect?!" Ezio exclaimed in disbelief, throwing Vieri's body to the ground and standing up. "After all that's happened? Do you think he would have shown either of us such kindness?"

"You are not Vieri, do not become him," Daeman warned as he kneeled by Vieri's body. "_Che la morte te dia la pace che cercavi,_ (May Death provide the peace you sought,)" Daeman said, closing Vieri's eyes. " _Requiescat in pace._ (Rest in peace.)" Daeman stood back up and looked at Ezio. "Our work here is done; let us return to the villa."

"What are you doing here?" Ezio asked Daeman on their way back.

"I thought I'd get a taste of the battlefield again," Daman replied.

"Again?"

"You may find it hard to believe, but I was once a soldier, I used to take lives on the battlefield."

"Then, why is it that you don't do it now?"

"I still do, but taking a life is not something to be proud of. Every life is worth something, even the evil ones; if possible, try not to kill."

"Why?" Ezio asked flatly.

"Evil does not need to be destroyed if it can be turned. Some are corrupted by evil because of fear or ignorance; these people can be saved. Others, however, are evil because of greed and lust for power; if these people cannot be separated from society they must be destroyed. You'll understand what I mean when you're older."


	14. Ch14 Change of Plans

Change of Plans

Ezio just got done at the market and was headed back for the villa; yesterday's events were still in his head. When he first sought out to avenge his father, he never knew that it would involve a conspiracy of this size. He thought revenge would be easy, kill Ulberto Alberti and leave, Ezio never thought the killings would continue. It does not matter, whoever was involved will eventually pay, one way or another.

Ezio could hear the sound of swords clashing in the training ring as he walked up the steps to the villa. Ezio had just reached the front door of the villa when he noticed Mario and a huge group of his men waiting for Ezio, drinking and talking.

"And here he is!" Mario announced. "Our _campione_ (champion), Ezio!"

"All hail Ezio!" Mario's men cheered.

"I see you wasted no time starting the celebration!" Ezio said cheerfully.

"And, why not?" Mario asked. "You've done us a great service, _nipote_ (nephew)! With Vieri dead, Tuscany will grow quiet once more. Do you know what that means?" Mario's men answered his question.

"No more work!"

"We can drink all day!"

"And with women!" The crowd grew quiet at this statement. "What? It's true."

"Come, Ezio," Mario said as his men burst out laughing. "Walk with me." Ezio began following his uncle back into the villa.

"The Pazzi answer to another, a Spaniard," Ezio told Mario on their way in.

"He is Rodrigo Borgia, one of the most powerful men in all Europe, and leader of the Crimson Knights."

"Which makes him responsible for the murder of my father and brothers."

"Yes, and he will kill you too, given the chance."

"Then, I must stand against him if I wish to be free. But, not until every other knight has fallen to my blade! Father's list will guide me."

"Where will you go next?" Mario asked.

"Firenze," Ezio answered. "Francesco de' Pazzi will share the fate of his son."

"A sensible next step, no doubt he intends evil for the city. Alright. That's enough grim talk for one night. I'll be in my study, with Daeman, if you need me." With that said, Mario left. Ezio took out the Codex page, he found with his hidden blade, and looked at it. There was something about the page that made him uneasy, but he did not know what. Maybe Uncle Mario would know, but first, he has to check up on his sister. Ezio quickly walked around the house and found Claudia in one of the studies, behind a large desk with a huge book in front of her.

"_Salute_ (Hi), Claudia!" Ezio said cheerfully.

"Our uncle is _un monstro_ (a monster)," was the first the Claudia said. "This is outrageous!"

"What's happened?" Ezio groaned.

"He's making me work! If Father were here, I'd never be stuck behind a desk like this!"

"And, what are the terms of this supposed enslavement?"

"Since SOMEONE decided we're going to stay, _Zio_ (Uncle) Mario's suggested we try and find money to repair the villa. The problem is, there isn't any."

"I bet I can bring money," Ezio said.

"Oh great, more work for me!" Claudia groaned. Well, _benissimo_ (fine). IF you start paying for improvements to the town, I'll keep track of them in this book. And, since I have nothing better to do, I'll also make note of any objects you bring in from the outside. If you actually get this place up and running, travelers might visit and spend money, although I doubt anyone wants to come this far out of the city. But, if they do, I'll keep the money we make in this chest. You're going to have to show up and take it to the bank yourself because, when it gets full, I'm just going to take the extra cash for myself. _Capito_ (Understand)?"

"Deal," Ezio said. Everything seems to be falling in place for him now. He and his family now have a home to stay in, a way to live, and Ezio knew what he will devote his life doing. Ezio already knew where Mario's study was and quickly went there, where he found Mario, who was leaning backwards, lost in thought, and Daeman, who was leaning on his metal walking stick. They were both looking at a wooden board hanging on the wall that had pieces of paper hanging on it.

"Ezio, welcome back," Daeman greeted.

"What is this?" Ezio asked, looking at the board.

"It doesn't look familiar?" Mario asked. Ezio looked at the hanging pieces of paper more closely.

"Other Codex pages."

"Yes," Daeman confirmed. "Your father managed to find and translate a few before he…"

"Here," Ezio said handing Daeman his hidden blade's Codex page. Daeman quickly looked at it and gave it to Mario.

"This is not your father's work," Mario said as he put the page on the board. "Someone else translated this."

"Leonardo Da Vinci, a friend."

"Do you see how the words cross from one page to the next?" Daeman asked.

"There's something underneath is all," Ezio said as he looked closely. "Some kind of map. Where is it supposed to lead?"

"Your father and I managed to make out bits of a prophecy scrawled across these pages," Mario explained. "It was written by an assassin, like us, who long ago held something a "Piece of Eden". His name was Altiar, he spoke of something powerful and ancient hidden beneath the land.

"What is it?"

"What, indeed. Solving that mystery is exactly why we collected these pages."

"Then, let me help. It's time I take on my father's work, all of it. I'll start with the page I took from Vieri. Leonardo will decode it for us."

"_Bene_ (Good). Return here when time permits, and we'll add it to the wall."


	15. Ch15 Fox Hunt

Fox Hunt

Tai groaned as he sat up in bed and looked around. Nothing seemed to be different, except that Kari was not in bed. Tai jumped to his feet and burst out of the bedroom, where he saw Izzy and Lucy staring at him, confused.

"Where's Kari?" Tai asked, panicked.

"Don't worry," Izzy said. "She's safe."

"Where is she?"

"TK called me. He said you weren't picking up your phone and wondered where you were. He asked to see her."

"Where?" Tai glowered.

"Tai, relax," Lucy said. As soon as Tai marched up to the door, it slammed closed in front of him. "Tai," Lucy, who had control of the door, said more sternly. "Relax."

"Think of it as this way, Tai," Izzy said. "If the Knights ever want to break in here, Kari will be away." Tai shrugged, knowing that was true.

"Lucy, you said that if someone spends too much time in the Animus, they can see their ancestor's memories without it?" Tai asked.

"Yeah, why?" Lucy asked.

"I just had a dream last night, about my ancestor."

"When was it?" Izzy asked.

"When I was asleep."

"Not when did you have the dream! When did the dream take place?"

"The day after Vieri was killed."

"I don't think we need to look at all the details," Lucy said. "I'll fast-forward to the next relevant memory. Tai, get into the Animus." But, Tai did not budge. "Ok, we'll go get Kari after your session in the Animus, deal?"

"Fine." Tai lied down on the Animus and watched the world melt to white.

Florence, 1478, two years after the murder of Ezio's father and brothers, he was still at work at exacting vengeance. Ezio was on his way to Leonardo's, with his Codex page in hand. He knocked on the inventor's door, and let himself in.

"Ezio!" Leonardo exclaimed when he saw him. "You are still alive!"

"Look at this place," Ezio said. "The past two years have been kind to you."

"But, you are not the same at all, are you?" Leonardo asked. Ezio simply shook his head.

"I was hoping you might be able to help me with something."

"Anything for you, my friend," Leonardo replied. Ezio held up the Codex page. "Aha! You found another one! How exciting!" Leonardo opened the page on his work table and looked at it. "This one is tricky to break, clever use of ancient languages. It seems to be a manual of sorts for different assassination techniques."

"May I see it?"

"Wait, what's that? It's not so much a design this time, just a series of sketches. What to make of all this?" Leonardo looked at Ezio, when it struck him. "Of course! And, why not? What an inspired idea!"

"Can you make it for me while I try what's in that manual fragment?"

"Take it. I'll have my assistant set up some dummies for you to practice with."

"I've done it!" Leonardo exclaimed as Ezio walked back into the shop. "Come quickly! Look!" Leonardo put a metal blade onto the hidden blade's bracer. "Take it, try it!"

"Thank you, Leonardo," Ezio said.

"_Non c'é di che !_ (No problem)!" Leonardo said.

"There's someone I need to "see" while I'm here," Ezio said. "I cannot approach him publicly. Would you know a way-"

"La Volpe," Leonardo said.

"The Fox?"

"SHH!"

"_Capisco_ (I understand). But, do you know where a fox might roam?"

"Perhaps…near Mercato…where the thieves dwell. _Sla'attento, amico_ (Be safe, friend)," Leonardo said. Ezio nodded, and then left.

As Ezio got out of the workshop, he looked around. He could not shake the feeling that he was being watched. As Ezio turned left, a man suddenly slammed into him. Ezio stumbled for a moment, trying to regain balance, and then he noticed something missing.

"What?" he exclaimed. "My pouch! My money!"

"Oh, your money," the man yelled to Ezio, goading him for a chase. "I don't have your money." With that said, the man turned and sprinted down the street.

"Come back here!" Ezio yelled, sprinting after the pickpocket.

"Make me!" he yelled back as he began to scale the side of a building. Ezio had to get his bag back; it not only had his money, but a cluster of eagle feathers he found. Ezio had to get the feathers to his mother.

Within moments, the pickpocket had reached the roof of the building, with Ezio right behind him. As Ezio reached the roof, he realized that the pickpocket had stopped right in front of chimney, a few feet away.

"I really have no interest in hurting you," Ezio said. "So, give me back my money and we'll call it even."

"Not so fast," a voice behind him said. Ezio turned around and saw an elderly man in brown robes standing behind him. The man wore a brown piece of cloth as a makeshift hood. The man's brown cape waved gently in the breeze.

"What do you want?" Ezio barked as the man casually walked up to the pickpocket. "Who are you?"

"They call me many things: murderer, _tagilagole_ (cutthroat), thief. But, you may call me La Volpe; at your service, Messer Ezio." Ezio was disturbed that La Volpe already knew his name.

"How do you know my name?" Ezio asked suspiciously.

"It is my business to know everything in this city," Volpe replied. "Isn't that why you're here?"

"Indeed," Ezio replied flatly. "I need to find someone; to know where he'll be before even he does."

"Who?"

"Francesco de' Pazzi."

"There's word on the street that a caravan just arrived from Roma; a secret meeting at sunset tonight. You can learn something of Francesco's whereabouts there."

"Do you know where it is to be held?"

"_Ma certo_ (Yes). Let me know when you're ready, and we'll go." Volpe walked up to the pickpocket, picked up Ezio's stolen bag of money, and tossed it back to its rightful owner. "Here's your money." Ezio followed Volpe to the edge of the roof. "Follow me. But, we must move fast. Think you can keep up?"

"_Nessun problema_ (No problem)," Ezio said. Suddenly, Volpe took off and climbed onto the roof. Ezio has never seen anyone climb like that before; he never thought anyone could climb like that. Volpe stopped on the roof, watching Ezio as he scaled the side of the building. By the time Ezio had reached the roof, Volpe was nowhere to be seen. Ezio finally spotted Volpe making his way from roof to roof.

"What are you doing back there?" Volpe laughed. "I said to keep up with me!" Ezio groaned in annoyance as he took off after Volpe. Ezio spent the next ten minutes sprinting after Volpe; he spent a quarter of the time sprinting and the rest of it trying to figure out where Volpe had went. Ezio finally caught up with Volpe, who was staring at a church from the roof of a nearby house.

"Here we are," Volpe said cheerfully. "Francesco de' Pazzi is meeting his people inside that church."

"How do I join them?" Ezio panted.

"There are catacombs that run underneath the city. They will lead you to a place where you can eavesdrop on the meeting." Volpe pointed to a small handle on the side of the church. "Grip that handle, turn it, then slide it down."

"Thank you for all your help, Volpe."

"_Buona fortuna_ (Good luck)," Volpe said as he turned and left.


	16. Ch16 Serpent's Venom

Serpent's Venom

"I think that's all we can do for now," Lucy said, ejecting Tai out of the Animus.

"Now we're going to get Kari," Tai immediately said as he got up. Lucy hit a button on her control panel and the door shut in Tai's face again. "Hey!"

"We'll get Kari, but first, you need to calm down."

"I am calm!" Tai snapped. Izzy rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"How about this?" Izzy suggested. "We go see Kari, and if, and only if, we see TK doing anything sneaky, then you can stop him." Tai groaned, but nodded.

"Why don't YOU open the door, Izzy?" Lucy suggested. "I might need to tackle Tai if he rushes out." Tai did not laugh at the joke as Lucy opened the door.

"Where are Kari and TK supposed to be?" Tai asked as they got into Izzy's van.

"A Wendy's nearby," Izzy said. Tai looked out the window of the van as they drove down the street. It had finally stopped raining.

As Tai, Lucy, and Izzy walked into Wendy's, and they quietly sat down at a table where they could see TK and Kari. The way that Tai, Lucy, and Izzy sat put Lucy and Izzy's back towards TK and Kari, leaving Tai to stare at what was happening.

"Do you want to switch seats?" Izzy asked when he saw Tai's discomfort at the sight.

"I'm fine," Tai lied. Izzy quickly looked at TK and Kari, just in time to see TK wrap his arms around her. "I'm fine," Tai repeated. Tai did not like the idea of someone with his sister. If ANYONE breaks Kari's heart…

"You're not the only one watching over a sibling," Lucy said. Tai realized that Matt and Sora were sitting at another table across the fast-food restaurant. Matt was staring at TK and Kari, with Sora trying to calm him down. When the trio saw couple, they decided to sit with them. Tai and Lucy now knew how to blend in with the crowd, no matter how small. Izzy, however, had to attract the attention of nearly everyone in the restaurant to hide from TK and Kari. The cashier watched Izzy suspiciously as he ducked under the counter and snuck to get to Matt and Sora.

"I'm surprised you didn't get pie," Tai said as he reached the table.

"What are you doing here?" Sora asked Tai quietly.

"Watching Kari," Izzy said. "What are you doing here?"

"Watching TK," Matt hissed.

"Who's she?" Sora asked.

"Lucy, my cousin."

"So, I'm not the only one who has problem with them sitting together?" Tai asked.

"No," Matt said.

"Matt, they'll see you if you lean out like that," Lucy told her cousin as Matt leaned sideways to see TK and Kari past one of the customers, who had just sat down in Matt's view.

"Shh," Tai said. "I'm trying to hear what they're saying." Tai has only been in the Animus a few times, and he has already picked up on eavesdropping. He could now hear everything TK and Kari were saying.

"You know, it nice," Kari said to TK. "Having someone who you can talk to."

"You know, Tai's always there," TK said.

"He's always too protective. I know he just doesn't want anything to happen to me, but…"

"But?"

"After all this, after the Dark Masters, after MaloMyotismon, I just want to know I have someone, someone I can hold when I'm scared." Kari looked into TK's eyes. "Thanks for being there for me."

"I'll always be there for you," TK said. They placed their foreheads against each others. "Always." TK chuckled when he saw Matt's head sticking out. "I think we're being watched."

"Matt, you idiot!" Lucy snapped. "They see us!"

"Maybe it's time to break them up," Matt said. "Tai, don't you agree?" But, Tai did not answer. Was he really too protective. All Tai has wanted was to keep Kari safe, do what is best for her. Then again, keeping her away from the person she loved may not be what is best for her.

"You can stop hiding now," Kari said. Tai nearly fell out of his seat when he suddenly realized his little sister was right in front of him.

"Little jumpy?" TK asked.

"If you wanted to keep an eye on us, you only had to tell us."

"So how are you two doing?" Sora asked, trying to cover up Matt's fuming face.

"We're great," TK said. "But, we'd prefer that you let us know when you're going to keep an eye on us."

"Tai, what is it?" Lucy asked, concerned. Tai was staring out the window.

"Stay here," Tai said, getting up. The cashier looked at Tai suspiciously as the spike-hair teen walked out. First he had Izzy, ducking behind counters like a stalker, now, he has Tai, who just comes into a fast-food restaurant and leaves without ordering anything.

Where did he go? This was the only thought in Tai Kamiya's head when he got outside. Cronen was standing outside this window a moment ago. Where did he go? There he was, Cronen! He quickly disappeared down an alley as Tai sprinted after him. As Tai ran down the alley, he just barely had enough time to see Cronen walk into an abandoned warehouse. Tai burst through the warehouse door, merely to find that Cronen had disappeared again.

The warehouse was dark; the little sunlight that poured through the windows cast gray darkness on everything that did not have sunlight on it. Tai began to carefully look through the metal racks. He had to be in there somewhere.

"And now, you stand alone, Kamiya," Cronen's hollow voice rang.

"Why don't you just come out where I can see you?" Tai mocked, searching through the racks for Cronen. What was that? A dark figure leapt from the top of one rack to another.

"Why do you fight? You cannot stop us."

"I've stopped the Dark Masters. I've stopped your knights on the train. You know I'll stop you." Tai's response caused Cronen to chuckled wickedly.

"You merely delay the inevitable." The figure leapt to another rack.

"You get these bad-guy sayings from comic books?" Tai mocked. "I mean, they're all the same, always how we cannot stop you and how you're going to kill us and all that."

"You know what we want. Give us the Apple."

"Not happening," Tai said. Tai whipped around and saw Cronen standing on top of one of the racks. Tai quickly picked up a metal bar off the floor and threw at Cronen like a javelin, but the leader of the Crimson Knight dodged the attack and disappeared.

"This delay is pointless, we WILL have the Apple."

"If you're so powerful, why don't you just grab the Apple now? Why don't you just fight me now?"

"If I must tear you apart, I will."

Suddenly, Cronen leapt out of the shadows and landed right in front of Tai! Tai jumped back but immediately sent a flurry of punches and kicks at Cronen, who effortlessly blocked them. Punch after punch after punch, Cronen simply brushed them aside. As Tai threw another punch, Cronen blocked it and slammed his palm into Tai's chest! Tai was thrown back by the hit and knocked off his feet. He immediately jumped back up, but Cronen was gone.

"This cat-and-mouse thing is kind of pointless," Tai yelled. "Why don't you just come out and settle this now? I mean like, if you're so powerful, why didn't you do your take-over-the-world ploy a hundred years ago. Oh, I forgot, we stopped you over a hundred years ago."

"Yes, we underestimated the strength of those who opposed us before. They won their war over us over a thousand years ago. We have now returned to exact our vengeance on those who stopped us."

"Over a thousand years ago?"

"Before, everyone on Earth was ruled by a king…by a tyrant…by an agent…by a Knight. Their individual lust for power caused them to rage war on one another. Those who opposed us, those who wished for freedom gathered their forces and fought back. Weakened by the wars we waged upon each other, we were able to drive us back into the shadows. Rule of this nation…this continent…this planet belongs to us. We are the rightful rulers, and we will reclaim control."

"So, you didn't just begin as Templars?" Tai asked.

"No, we simply began our return during the Crusades," Cronen said. "People tried to forget their history, they tried to bury it, but they could not erase it."

"We can still erase it. We stopped you before, we can stop you again."

"You still fail to fathom the scope of our power. In our time of absence, we have regained our strength. All Crimson Knights are now united to reclaim control. We shall call forth our armies, who have been gathered and trained to fight all who oppose us. Our legions shall be sent across the world to crush those who will not bow. We shall reclaim what is ours."

"You won't win, not if everyone rises up against you. You can't stop all of us. Once others realize that you exist, every person around this world will stand up against you."

"You underestimate our numbers. No one can protect you, nothing can stop us; you will be among the first who rise against us, and you will be among the first who fall."

"If you have an army, why hasn't anyone else noticed you yet?"

"Our sleeper agents lie dormant across the globe. They hide among the citizens as spies and saboteurs. They shall rally under the call of the Apple. Our agents shall corrupt the government and economy of every nation. Our armies will leave a path of destruction the likes that this world has never seen. The ground shall be blackened by the bodies of those who do not bow; the rivers will run red with the blood of all who oppose us! We shall begin a new reign where all bow down to our power."

"They won't surrender," Tai said. "People won't just give up their freedom to bow down to you."

"If they do not bow, they shall fall. All who oppose us will not be spared. We will cut down every man, woman, and child who stand against us, and we shall begin with you!"

"TAI!" a voice screamed. Suddenly the warehouse door burst open and Sora and Matt burst through.

"Get down!" Matt yelled. Tai immediately fell on his stomach as Lucy shoved past Matt and Sora and threw a throwing knife past Tai. The knife flew over Tai and at Cronen, who was standing behind him!

"We're getting out of here!" Matt said as Tai and his friends sprinted out of the warehouse. Even once Tai was out of the warehouse, he could still here Cronen's voice in his head.

"There is nowhere you can run, nowhere you can hide, I will find you again."


	17. Ch17 Back Into Animus

Back into the Animus

Tai, Lucy, Izzy, Kari, TK, Sora, and Matt had all returned to Izzy's lab. Tai, Izzy and Lucy stood in a corner while Tai explained what he learned from Cronen. Lucy looked fearfully at Tai.

"An army?" she said. "You're sure?"

"He kept talking about his army of Crimson Knights," Tai said. "What is it?"

"We always assumed the Knights only had about the numbers in a street gang of Yakuza. I have no idea what will happen if the Crimson Knights have actually built up an army!"

"What about them?" Izzy asked, looking at their friends at the side. "They're now involved."

"I'll explain it to them," Lucy said. "Tai, you need to get back in the Animus and find the Apple. If Cronen actually has an army, I don't know how long it'll be before he storms the building."

"I think we need to get ready for that," Tai suggested.

"I'll call all the other Assassins in Japan to rally here, but I don't know if it'll be enough. We need the other Assassins around the world."

"We're all forgetting something here. This isn't ancient Italy, we don't have swords and axes, we have guns!"

"He's right," Izzy said. "Outnumbered, we won't last in a gunfight." Suddenly, Izzy's face brightened. "But, I think I can find a way to take guns out of the equation."

"How?" Lucy asked.

"Leave that to me. Tai, get back in the Animus. Lucy and I will deal with things on this end, the most important thing right now is to find the Apple."

"Ok, but promise me one thing," Tai said.

"What?" Lucy asked.

"I want Kari out of this. I don't care what it takes, I don't care if she doesn't like it, I don't want her caught in the fight."

"I'll do what I can."

Tai laid down on the Animus as Lucy walked to the control consol. Tai watched as his world faded to white.

Ezio crawled through the tunnels under Italy, trying to find a way back out. While he was busy looking for a way out, what he heard after eavesdropping on the Crimson Knight's meeting still slightly disturbed him. He kept replaying the events in his head, hoping to find some sense in it.

_As Ezio continued down the hall, he could hear voices. This must have been where the Knights were meeting. Ezio saw a small hole in the wall and peeked through it. As Volpe said, the hole let him see right into the meeting chamber, where he could see Francesco and Jacopo d'Pazzi. Beside them were a priest and a strange man wearing a feathered hat. Ezio listened as the priest finished saying his blessing. _

"_Thank you, father," Francesco said. "Bernardo?" _

"_It's all here," the man with a feathered hat said. "Swords, staves, axes, armor, bows. Our men will want for nothing." _

"_I take this gift means the pope consents?" the priest asked. _

"_He gave his blessing to the operation…"as long as nobody is killed"." a snake-like voice hissed from the shadows. Ezio watched as Rodrigo Borgia appeared from the cloak of darkness. _

"_We're all set for the Duomo in the morning, Signore," Francesco said. "The bait's been laid, but it wasn't easy. His fool brother keeps changing his plans." _

"_We'll need to be on hand to make sure Giuliano even gets out of bed for church tomorrow," Bernardo said. Everyone in the roof burst out laughing…except for Jacopo. _

"_What is it, Jacopo?" Rodrigo asked. "Do you think they suspect something?" _

"_Impossible!" Francesco exclaimed. "The Medici are too arrogant or too stupid to even notice…likely a bit of both." _

"_Do not underestimate our enemies, Francesco," Jacopo warned. "Or, have you already forgotten how your son was murdered?" _

"_We'll suffer no such surprises this time, Maestro. You have my word." _

"_Very well," Borgia hissed. "I should be off. I've some other business to attend to before I return to Rome. Gentlemen, tomorrow, a new sun rises over Firenze. May the Father of Understanding guide us." The rest of the Knights repeated the phrase in unison. _

Finally! Ezio discovered a ladder that led up to the surface. The ladder led up through a manhole that led out into the streets. As Ezio slide the stone lid back onto the manhole, he noticed Volpe sitting on a bench at the side.

"I know where Francesco will be and when," Ezio explained as he sat down beside The Fox. "But…"

"What is it?" Volpe asked.

"I overheard something…they have weapons, enough for a battalion! Even the pope has given his consent." When Ezio began plotting his revenge, he did not expect this.

"Typical of Sixtus…but what are they planning?"

"I couldn't understand the specifics, but it involves the Medici and it begins tomorrow morning at the Duomo."

"The Medici will be there for Sunday service…along with the rest of Firenze. They're going to do it right in the middle of High Mass!"

"But, it's also a chance for me to blend with the crowd, get in close, and stop this madness."

"If they succeed, if we lose Lorenzo, if Firenze falls to the Pazzi…"

"It will not come to that…I promise."

"I hope you're right."

Ezio slowly walked through the streets, still thinking about what will happen. There has to be a way to stop all this before it happened. He was still walking down the street when he noticed someone, a dark, cloaked figure slowly walking through the streets. Ezio suddenly realized that is was Rodrigo Borgia! If Ezio could stop Borgia…if he could assassinate him, everything could be prevented. Ezio quietly began to follow Borgia through the streets. Rodrigo stopped in front of a small building, which was still under construction, and looked around before he went in. Ezio quietly slipped into the building, but Borgia had already disappeared. Ezio slowly walked through the building, Rodrigo had to be around here somewhere. Ezio immediately extended his hidden blade when he saw Borgia sitting on a bench.

"You're blade won't be enough, Assassin" Borgia hissed, standing up. "What happens now is up to you." Ezio glared at Borgia, expecting him to make a move. "You have a unique set of skills, Ezio…that's your name, isn't it? "A set of skills I'd be delighted to have on my side."

"And what side is that?" Ezio asked.

"The side that is going to win a war you don't even know has begun yet. The world is changing under your feet, Ezio. Join us, and you may live to see it."

"Borgia…yes, I know your name too…and I know how this is going to end; with your fantasy in ruins, and an assassin's blade in your throat."

Borgia chuckled when he heard this.

"We shall see," he hissed. "He's all yours," Rodrigo yelled into the shadows."Get him!" Suddenly, a dozen armed men leapt out of the shadows. They all drew their swords, ready to fight. Ezio drew his sword, remembering everything Mario has taught him. Ezio froze when he heavy, metal footsteps in the shadows. He watched in horror as a massive brute slowly walked out of the shadows. Ezio could tell from the scratch marks on the brute's armor, which were created by his throwing knives, this was the first brute Ezio fought. Ezio was so focused on the brute that he was caught off guard when one of the guards at the side lunged at him! Ezio was able to block the attack in time, but his sword was knocked out of his hand! Realizing Ezio was now unarmed all the guards charged! Ezio jumped back, dodging the oncoming attacks. As one of the guards lunge forwards, Ezio was able to slam his blade into the guard's head! Ezio quickly retracted his blade and jumped back as the brute shoved past a pair of guards and slammed his battle axe into the ground.

"Kill him!" Borgia yelled. As one of the guards slashed his sword at Ezio, the assassin grabbed the sword by the handle and yanked it out of the guard's hands! The guard was so stunned by what happened that he did not react as Ezio slashed straight through the guard. As another guard slashed at Ezio, the assassin blocked the attack and slit the guard's throat with his hidden blade! Ezio heard the roar of the brute as he charged at Ezio. He quickly threw the dead guard's body at the armored giant, who slashed through the body like a rag doll! Ezio immediately made a desperate lunge for his original sword. The assassin jumped back on his feet, a sword in each hand.

Borgia watched Ezio desperately fight off the guards. He smiled wickedly as he quietly drew a knife from his cloak.

Ezio ducked as the brute swung the battle axe over his head. Ezio took this chance and tackled the brute full force. The armored giant stumbled backwards but was unaffected by the charge. As another guard charged at Ezio, the assassin blocked the attack with one sword and slashed through the guard with the other. All twelve guards were finally dead, leaving the brute. The brute charged again; Ezio ducked as the battle axe swung over his head, smashing through the stone column behind him. Ezio suddenly slashed at the base of a nearby scaffold! The sudden storm of chaos ended abruptly as the massive platform fell right on the Brute. Ezio watched as the dust settled, leaving nothing put a pile of wood, the brute was nowhere to be seen. Ezio was about to walk away when he heard a low growl. He turned around and watched as the brute slowly rose out of the pile of wood almost like a zombie from a grave. The brute picked up his battle axe and rose to its feet. It suddenly charged at Ezio, and the assassin could do nothing but run; however, he quietly took out the dagger hidden in his boot. Ezio leapt off the wall and right at the brute. As he landed right on the hulking guard, he thrust the blade of his knife right through the brute's visor and into its head. There was a loud crash as they both fell to the ground. The Brute was finally dead. Ezio slowly got back on his feet and looked at Borgia. Suddenly, Borgia threw a throwing knife at Ezio, forcing the assassin to drop back down to the ground! Ezio looked back up, but Borgia was gone.


End file.
